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Alpha-interferon

Its effect upon lymphocyte subpopulations and HLA-DR expression within the liver

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Abstract

Alpha-interferon (IFN-α) has been shown to be beneficial in the treatment of chronic active hepatitis occurring as a consequence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Therefore, it has been used to reduce the high rate of allograft infection in clinical liver transplantation of HBV-positive individuals. This study was performed to evaluate the effect of IFN-α on lymphocyte subsets as well as the HLA-DR antigen expression in liver tissue. The resected livers obtained from two groups of patients who received liver transplants between 1983 and 1987 at the University of Pittsburgh were examined: group A consisted of 11 patients who were not treated (controls), and group B consisted of 10 patients (experimental group) who were treated with IFN-α for 29.4±5.6 days prior to transplantation. No differences between the two groups existed in terms of a variety of demographic and clinical characteristics. Both groups had cirrhosis as a result of chronic HBV infection. Monoclonal antibodies to cell-surface antigens unique to different lymphocyte populations and the HLA-DR antigens were used in conjunction with the avidin-biotin-immunoperoxidase technique to identify cells in tissue sections. The number of HLA-DR-positive lymphocytes in the liver was increased (P <0.005) within the portal areas in rIFN-α-treated group as compared to that seen in the untreated group (84.4±13.6/HPF vs 33.3±4.8IHPF). Moreover, the intensity of the HLA-DR antigen expression in the portal areas (P<0.02) and in the hepatic lobule (P< 0.05) was greater in the treated group than in untreated group. The number of natural killer cells was increased in the portal areas (P<0.05) of the treated group (17.2±8.2/10 HPFs vs 3.3 ±1.7/10 HPFs) as compared to the untreated group. Based upon these studies, we conclude that the use of IFN-α in the treatment of cirrhosis occurring as a result of chronic HBV infection results in: (1) an increase in the number of lymphocytes that stain for HLA-DR antigens in the portal areas; (2) a greater intensity of HLA-DR expression both in the portal and lobular areas of the liver; and (3) an increase in the number of natural killer cells present in the portal areas. These alterations in the lymphocyte and natural killer cell population, present in the liver in response to IFN-α therapy, could reflect an IFN-α-induced enhancement of the immune response to virus-infected cells.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Medicine and Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 15261, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

    Young -Kul Yoo MD, Judith S. Gavaler PhD, Kangnian Chen MD, Vincents Dindzans MD, Douglas E. Brouillette MD, Theresa L. Whiteside PhD & David H. Van Thiel MD

  2. Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, 15261, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

    Young -Kul Yoo MD, Judith S. Gavaler PhD, Kangnian Chen MD, Vincents Dindzans MD, Douglas E. Brouillette MD, Theresa L. Whiteside PhD & David H. Van Thiel MD

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  1. Young -Kul Yoo MD
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  2. Judith S. Gavaler PhD
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  3. Kangnian Chen MD
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  4. Vincents Dindzans MD
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  5. Douglas E. Brouillette MD
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  6. Theresa L. Whiteside PhD
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  7. David H. Van Thiel MD
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Additional information

This work was supported in part by grants NIDDK 32556-05 and ACS PDT-337.

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Yoo, Y.K., Gavaler, J.S., Chen, K. et al. Alpha-interferon. Digest Dis Sci 34, 1758–1764 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01540055

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01540055

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