[Function of dendritic cell in chronic hepatitis C patients].

Objective: To explore the relation between dendritic cell (DC) and the persistence of HCV in chronic hepatitis C.

Methods: The mononuclear cells were separated from the peripheral blood and cultured with the AIM-V serum-free culture to induce DC. The shape and the ultrastructure of DC, the phenotype of DC, the capacity of DC to induce allogeneicly naive T cell proliferation and the level of cytokines in supernant were investigated.

Results: The expression rate of CD(86) in HCV-DC was (52.4 +/- 13.3)%, which was obviously lower than that of normal-DC [(83.7 +/- 15.8)%, P < 0.01]; The capacity of proliferation of HCV-DC to induce allogeneic T cell (cpm: 19 245 +/- 2 788) was obviously lower than that of the normal-DC (cpm: 26 529 +/- 3 218) (P < 0.01); In mixed lymphocyte reaction, the average of IL-12 p(40) and interferon (IFN)gamma in HCV-DC was (404 +/- 103) ng/L and (7 891 +/- 821) ng/L, which was obviously lower than (802 +/- 205) ng/L and (13 490 +/- 1 554) ng/L of the normal-DC (P < 0.005).

Conclusion: The function of DC in patients with chronic hepatitis C is decreased, suggesting that it is related to the persistent infection of HCV.