Expression and clinical significance of chemokine receptor in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the relationship of chemokine receptor with the development and progression of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). Methods: Real-time PCR and flow cytometry were used to examine the mRNA and protein expression of chemokine receptor 1 (CCR1), CCR3 and CCR5 in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of 60 patients with PBC, 60 patients with hepatitis B-related cirrhosis, and 60 normal controls. Total bilirubin (TBIL) and γ-glutamyltransferase (γ-GT) levels were determined in the patients with PBC and normal controls,and their correlation with chemotactic factors was also analyzed. Results: Both the mRNA and protein expression levels of CCR1, CCR3 and CCR5 in the PBMCs were significantly lower in PBC patients than those in the other two groups (P< 0.05), and there were no significant differences between the latter two groups. The mRNA and protein levels of CCR1, CCR3 and CCR5 were significantly lower in patients with stage III and IV PBC than those with stage I and II PBC. CCR1 protein expression was correlated with TBIL levels in PBC patients(r= - 0.445,P<0.01), but not with γ-GT(r= - 0.230,P>0.05). CCR3 protein was not linearly correlated with TBIL level (r= -0.173,P>0.05),but was correlated with γ-GT(r= -0.295, P< 0.05). Expression of CCR5 protein was negatively correlated with both TBIL and γ-GT levels(r= -0.531,P<0.01; r=-0.665,P <0.01). Conclusion: CCR1, CCR3 and CCR5 expression is associated with the development and progression of PBC; they may be involved in the regulatory mechanism of PBC,which may cast new lights on the diagnosis and prevention of PBC.