Role in Disease Pathogenesis
See also: Hepatitis B virusDuring hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection cytotoxic T cells play an important pathogenetic role. They contribute to nearly all of the liver injury associated with HBV infection and, by killing infected cells and by producing antiviral cytokines capable of purging HBV from viable hepatocytes, cytotoxic T cells also eliminate the virus. Recently platelets have been shown to facilitate the accumulation of virus-specific cytotoxic T cells into the infected liver. Recently, cytotoxic T cells have been implicated in the progression of arthritis: depletion of knee joint cartilage macromolecules such as glycosaminoglycans by cytotoxic T cells and macrophages has been observed in a rat model of the disease.
Read more about this topic: Cytotoxic T Cell
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