Bacterial translocation aggravates CCl 4 -induced liver cirrhosis by regulating CD4 + T cells in rats

• Published in: Scientific reports 2017-01, Vol.7, p.40516
• Main Authors: Shi, Haiyan, Lv, Longxian, Cao, Hongcui, Lu, Haifeng, Zhou, Ning, Yang, Jiezuan, Jiang, Haiyin, Dong, Huihui, Hu, Xinjun, Yu, Wei, Jiang, Xiawei, Zheng, Beiwen, Li, Lanjuan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; Anti-Bacterial Agents - therapeutic use; Ascites - pathology; Bacterial Translocation - drug effects; Body Weight; Carbon Tetrachloride; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes - drug effects; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes - immunology; Cecum - drug effects; Cecum - pathology; Immunity, Cellular - drug effects; Intestine, Small - drug effects; Intestine, Small - pathology; Liver - pathology; Liver - physiopathology; Liver Cirrhosis - chemically induced; Liver Cirrhosis - drug therapy; Liver Cirrhosis - immunology; Liver Cirrhosis - microbiology; Male; Organ Size; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Spleen - pathology; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory - drug effects; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory - immunology; Th1 Cells - drug effects; Th1 Cells - immunology; Th17 Cells - drug effects; Th17 Cells - immunology
• ISSN: 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/srep40516

Bacterial translocation (BT) is thought to play an important role in the development of liver cirrhosis, but the mechanisms have not been fully explored. This study aims to investigate the distribution of Treg (CD3 CD4 CD25 Foxp3 ), Th17 (CD3 CD4 IL-17 ), and Th1 (CD3 CD4 IFN-γ ) cells in the intestinal lamina propria, liver and blood and to explore their relationships with BT. Cirrhotic rats with ascites were induced by CCl . We found that there were lower levels of total protein and albumin, lower albumin/globulin ratio, lower body weight and higher spleen weight and ascites volume in cirrhotic rats with than without BT. We found that BT may cause increase of Treg cells in the proximal small intestine and decrease of Th17 cells in the whole intestine and blood in cirrhotic rats. It may also aggravate the CCl -induced decrease in Th1 cells in the whole intestine, liver, caecum, and blood and the CCl -induced increase in Th17 cells in the liver and Tregs in the distal small intestine, colon, and liver. Our data suggest that BT may aggravate liver injury and decrease liver function via an interaction with CD4 T Cells. The results of this study may be helpful for the development of new treatments for liver cirrhosis.