Dexmedetomidine induces IL-10 secretion by B lymphocytes in the peripheral blood of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Background/aim: To investigate the distribution of subpopulations of peripheral blood B lymphocytes in individuals with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and to evaluate the effect of dexmedetomidine (DEX) on B lymphocyte differentiation in patients with HCC in vitro. Methods: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were collected from the HCC group and the healthy group, and the distribution of peripheral blood B-lymphocyte subpopulations in the two groups was examined by Flow Cytometry (FCM). B lymphocytes extracted from the peripheral blood of the HCC group were divided into D0, D1, D2 and D4 groups according to the different dose of DEX in the culture medium (0 μM, 1 μM, 2 μM and 4 μM). After 72 h of in vitro culture, FCM was used to detect differences in the percentage of apoptotic B lymphocytes and the percentage of B lymphocytes that can express interleukin 10(IL-10) and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) in each group. Results: In contrast to the healthy group, the HCC group exhibited a statistically significant increase in the proportion of CD19 + CD73 + B lymphocyte subpopulation (P