Background

Fibrosis results from inflammation and healing following injury. The imbalance between extracellular matrix (ECM) secretion and degradation leads to the ECM accumulation and liver fibrosis. This process is regulated by immune cells. T lymphocytes, including alpha beta (αβ) T cells, which have adaptive immune functions, and gamma delta (γδ) T cells, which have innate immune functions, are considered regulators of liver fibrosis. This review aimed to present the current understanding of the cross-talk between T lymphocytes and hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), which are the key cells in liver fibrosis.

Data sources

The keywords “liver fibrosis”, “immune”, and “T cells” were used to retrieve articles published in PubMed database before January 31, 2020.

Results

The ratio of CD8+ (suppressor) T cells to CD4+ (helper) T cells is significantly higher in the liver than in the peripheral blood. T cells secrete a series of cytokines and chemokines to regulate the inflammation in the liver and the activation of HSCs to influence the course of liver fibrosis. In addition, HSCs also regulate the differentiation and proliferation of T cells.

Conclusions

The cross-talk between T cells and HSCs regulates liver fibrosis progression. The elucidation of this communication process will help us to understand the pathological process of liver fibrosis.

中文翻译：

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肝纤维化中肝星状细胞与T淋巴细胞的交叉对话

背景

纤维化由炎症和损伤后的愈合引起。细胞外基质 (ECM) 分泌和降解之间的不平衡导致 ECM 积累和肝纤维化。这个过程是由免疫细胞调节的。T淋巴细胞，包括具有适应性免疫功能的αβ（αβ）T细胞和具有先天免疫功能的γδ（γδ）T细胞，被认为是肝纤维化的调节因子。本综述旨在介绍目前对 T 淋巴细胞与肝星状细胞 (HSC) 之间相互作用的理解，这些细胞是肝纤维化的关键细胞。

数据源

关键词“肝纤维化”、“免疫”和“T细胞”用于检索2020年1月31日之前在PubMed数据库中发表的文章。

结果

肝脏中 CD8+（抑制）T 细胞与 CD4+（辅助）T 细胞的比率显着高于外周血。T细胞分泌一系列细胞因子和趋化因子来调节肝脏炎症和HSCs的活化，从而影响肝纤维化的进程。此外，HSCs还调节T细胞的分化和增殖。

结论

T 细胞和 HSC 之间的串扰调节肝纤维化进展。阐明这一交流过程将有助于我们了解肝纤维化的病理过程。