Figure 1
PD-L1+MDSCs are increased in the peripheral blood from HCC patients.
(a) Representative dot plots of a normal healthy donor (upper panel) and a HCC patient with TNM III (lower panel) are shown. The dot plots show CD33+HLA-DRlow/−CD11b+CD14+ MDSCs. (b) There were 53 healthy donors, 52 chronic hepatitis patients (CH) and 122 HCC patients. (upper left panel) The percentages of MDSCs in HCC patients were significantly higher than those in healthy donors (p < 0.001), and there were no significant differences in the percentages of MDSCs in the CH patients comparison with the healthy donors and HCC patients. (upper right panel) PD-L1+ cells in total MDSCs in HCC patients were significantly higher than those in heatlhy subjects and CH patients (p < 0.001). (lower left panel) The percentages of PD-L1+MDSCs in HCC patients were significantly higher than those in healthy donors (p < 0.001) and patients with chronic hepatitis (p < 0.05). (lower right panel) Circulating PD-L1+MDSCs were at significantly higher levels in HCC patients than in healthy donors (p < 0.05). (c) The percentages of MDSCs and PD-L1+MDSCs significantly increased as the stage of HCC advanced. (d) The Child-Pugh grade and the level of cancer biomarkers of the HCC patients were not related to the percentages of PD-L1+MDSCs. (e) (upper panel) The percentages of PD-L1+MDSCs were significantly higher in TILs than in PBMCs (p < 0.05). (lower panel) The percentages of PD-L1+MDSCs in TILs and PBMCs showed a positive correlation (p < 0.05).
