[471] SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA ANTIGEN (SCCA) EXPRESSION AND CD27+ MEMORY B LYMPHOCYTES IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC HEPATITIS C

HEPATITIS ~ D) HEPATITIS B ~ CLINICAL (EXCEPT THERAPY) S179 a panel of markers of intrahepatic T-lymphocyte subsets in 44 hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients, naive to treatment and with no important coexisting morbidities.Methods: The assessment of subsets of intrahepatic lymphocytes and peripheral blood lymphocytes was done with monoclonal antibodies using flow cytometry for peripheral blood and immunohistochemical study for liver biopsy specimens.Results: The proportion of CD4+ and CDX+ cells were similar in both compartments (respectively 43.7f7.2vs 49.5&13.1 for CD4+ and 27.1&5.4vs 2X.2fll.lfor CDX+).A significantly largerpercentage ofNK cells (CD56+/CD I6+) was observed in intrahepatic infiltrates compared to peripheral blood lymphocytes (I4.5fX.lvs 10.5f7.I; p i 0 .0 l ) .No statistical correlation was found between lymphocytes percentage and age, sex, transaminase activities and viremia levels.Linear regression indicated the positive correlation between the percentage of intrahepatic CDX+ cells and histological activity index (r= 0.46, p = 0.001) and between the percentage ofNK cells and histological activity index (r= 0.44, p = 0.003).There was not such a correlation between subsets of peripheral blood lymphocytes and histological activities.Conclusions: Cellular immune responses do take place in HCV-infected livers.The correlation between both CDX+ and NK cells and histological activity index may indicate that these cells could play an important role in mediating cellular injury.