ABSTRACT
Although immune responses to hepatitis viruses are initiated by virus-specific T cells,
there is evidence that many more intrahepatic T cells are activated than those specific
for the pathogen. Recent evidence suggests that cytokine combinations, such as IL-2,
IL-6, and TNFα can activate both naive and memory T cells in vitro. The inflammatory
cytokine milieu in the liver of patients with chronic viral hepatitis may therefore
favor bystander activation of T cells. This may play an important role in enhancing
effector T-cell function in the liver, and in maintaining peripheral memory T cells
in the absence of antigenie stimulation, such as after virus clearance.
KEY WORDS
viral hepatitis - cytokines - T cells - immune response - effector function
