γδ T cells display unique developmental, distributional, and functional patterns and can rapidly respond to various insults and contribute to diverse diseases. Different subtypes of γδ T cells are produced in the thymus prior to their migration to peripheral tissues. γδ T cells are enriched in the liver and exhibit liver-specific features. Accumulating evidence reveals that γδ T cells play important roles in liver infection, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, autoimmune hepatitis, liver fibrosis and cirrhosis, and liver cancer and regeneration. In this study, we review the properties of hepatic γδ T cells and summarize the roles of γδ T cells in liver diseases. We believe that determining the properties and functions of γδ T cells in liver diseases enhances our understanding of the pathogenesis of liver diseases and is useful for the design of novel γδ T cell-based therapeutic regimens for liver diseases.
Animals ; Cytokines ; immunology ; Humans ; Liver Diseases ; immunology ; Liver Regeneration ; immunology ; Mice ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory ; immunology

Natural killer T cells are innate-like and tissue-resident lymphocytes, which recognize lipid antigens and are enriched in the liver. Natural killer T cells play important roles in infections, tumors, autoimmune diseases, and metabolic diseases. In this study, we summarize recent findings on biology of natural killer T cells and their roles in hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus infection, autoimmune liver diseases, alcoholic liver disease, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Controversial results from previous studies are discussed, and indicate the dynamic alteration in the role of natural killer T cells during the progression of liver diseases, which might be caused by changes in natural killer T subsets, factors skewing cytokine responses, and intercellular crosstalk between natural killer T cells and CD1d-expressing cells or bystander cells.
Animals ; Autoimmune Diseases ; immunology ; Humans ; Liver ; pathology ; Liver Diseases ; immunology ; Natural Killer T-Cells ; immunology

Humans ; Intestines ; immunology ; microbiology ; Liver Diseases ; immunology ; microbiology

Humans ; Interleukin-17 ; Liver Diseases ; immunology ; Th17 Cells ; immunology

The liver has been characterized as a frontline lymphoid organ with complex immunological features such as liver immunity and liver tolerance. Liver tolerance plays an important role in liver diseases including acute inflammation, chronic infection, autoimmune disease, and tumors. The liver contains a large proportion of natural killer (NK) cells, which exhibit heterogeneity in phenotypic and functional characteristics. NK cell activation, well known for its role in the immune surveillance against tumor and pathogen-infected cells, depends on the balance between numerous activating and inhibitory signals. In addition to the innate direct "killer" functions, NK cell activity contributes to regulate innate and adaptive immunity (helper or regulator). Under the setting of liver diseases, NK cells are of great importance for stimulating or inhibiting immune responses, leading to either immune activation or immune tolerance. Here, we focus on the relationship between NK cell biology, such as their phenotypic features and functional diversity, and liver diseases.
Adaptive Immunity ; Animals ; Autoimmune Diseases ; immunology ; Humans ; Immune Tolerance ; Immunity, Innate ; Killer Cells, Natural ; immunology ; Liver Diseases ; immunology ; Mice

Animals ; Cytokines ; metabolism ; Fatty Liver ; immunology ; metabolism ; Humans ; Immune Tolerance ; Killer Cells, Natural ; immunology ; Liver ; immunology ; Liver Diseases ; immunology ; metabolism ; Liver Failure ; immunology ; metabolism ; T-Lymphocytes ; immunology ; United States

To evaluate prevalence of HBsAg in the liver tissue of various liver diseases among Koreans, a total of 614 cases of liver biopsies; hepatitis (104), cirrhosis (99), hepatocellular carcinoma (78), cholangiocarcinoma (3), metastatic carcinoma (35), HBsAg carrier (15) and miscellaneous (280) ; were studied by histochemical methods of Shikata's modified orcein, Gomori's aldehyde-fuchsin, aldehyde thionine, Weigert's resorcin-fuchsin, alcian blue, and Verhoeff's elastic staining. It was found that the modified orcein and Gomori's aldehyde-fuchsin methods gave the best and most reliable results. The prevalence of orcein positive materials in various liver diseases showed constantly negative results in acute hepatitis, portal and biliary cirrhosis, cholangiocarcinoma and metastatic tumors, and positive results in 27.5% of chronic persistent hepatitis, 56.8% in chronic active hepatitis, 56% in chronic active hepatitis leading to cirrhosis, 59.5% in adjacent liver tissue of hepatocellular carcinoma, 11.5% in tumor cells of hepatocellular carcinoma, 60% in asymptomatic carriers, and 0.7% in the miscellaneous disease group. The ground glass appearing hepatocytes which were present in various numbers in various liver diseases gave intense positive reaction with orcein staining, especially in asymptomatic carriers. These results strongly indicate that chronic hepatitis, macronodular cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma among Koreans are closely related with hepatitis B virus infection, and the percentage reported here might well be lower than actual prevalence since the specimens are mostly needle biopsy materials and the distribution of orcein positive materials are often spotty.
Hepatitis B Surface Antigens/analysis* ; Human ; Korea ; Liver/immunology ; Liver/pathology ; Liver Diseases/immunology* ; Liver Diseases/pathology ; Oxazines/diagnostic use ; Staining and Labeling

Liver Diseases ; immunology ; metabolism ; Signal Transduction ; Toll-Like Receptors ; immunology ; metabolism

Humans ; Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit ; Liver Diseases ; immunology ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory ; immunology

We trapped a rat (Rattus norvegicus) infected with Capillaria hepatica. At necropsy, grossly yellowish-white nodules (2-3 mm in diameter) were noted to be scattered on the liver's surface. Microscopically, granulomatous and fibrotic nodules that contained the eggs and/or adult worms of Capillaria hepatica were detected in the liver. Septal fibrosis was diffusely formed throughout the liver. There were a number of ED1-positive macrophages located in the sinusoids of the pseudolobules. On the double staining, myofibroblasts and mast cells were generally observed within the fibrous septa with the mast cells in close proximity to the myofibroblasts. We suggest that the interactions between macrophages, myofibroblasts and mast cells play a role in the septal fibrosis observed in rats infected by Capillaria hepatica.
Animals ; *Capillaria ; Enoplida Infections/immunology/parasitology/*veterinary ; Fibroblasts/immunology ; Liver/parasitology/pathology ; Macrophages/immunology ; Mast Cells/immunology ; Rats ; Rodent Diseases/*immunology/*parasitology/pathology