Ratios of T-helper 2 Cells to T-helper 1 Cells and Cytokine Levels in Patients with Hepatitis B

• Published in: Chinese medical journal Vol. 130; no. 15; pp. 1810 - 1815
• Main Authors: Li, Ming-Hui, Zhang, Dan, Zhang, Lu, Qu, Xiao-Jing, Lu, Yao, Shen, Ge, Wu, Shu-Ling, Chang, Min, Liu, Ru-Yu, Hu, Lei-Ping, Hao, Hong-Xiao, Hua, Wen-Hao, Song, Shu-Jing, Wan, Gang, Liu, Shun-Ai, Xie, Yao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: China Medknow Publications and Media Pvt. Ltd 05.08.2017; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Ovid Technologies; Liver Diseases Center, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100015, China%Clinical Laboratory, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100015, China; Medknow Publications & Media Pvt Ltd; Wolters Kluwer
• Subjects: Acute Hepatitis B; Chronic Hepatitis B; Cytokine; Immune-tolerance; T Lymphocytes; Adult; Aged; Analysis; Antigens; Cytokines; Cytokines - metabolism; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; DNA水平; Ethics; Female; Growth factors; Hepatitis; Hepatitis B; Hepatitis B - metabolism; Hepatitis B virus - immunology; Hepatitis B virus - pathogenicity; Hepatitis B, Chronic - metabolism; Hospitals; Humans; Immune response; Infections; Interferon-alpha - metabolism; Interferon-gamma - metabolism; Interleukin-10 - metabolism; Laboratories; Liver diseases; Male; Middle Aged; Original; Pathogenesis; Statistical analysis; T cells; TGF-β1; Th1 Cells - cytology; Th1 Cells - metabolism; Th2 Cells - cytology; Th2 Cells - metabolism; Transforming Growth Factor beta - metabolism; T细胞; Viruses; Young Adult; 乙型肝炎病毒; 助细胞; 患者; 慢性乙型肝炎; 细胞因子; United States > US; Acute Hepatitis B; Chronic Hepatitis B; Immune-tolerance; T Lymphocytes; Cytokine
• ISSN: 0366-6999; 2542-5641
• DOI: 10.4103/0366-6999.211541

Background：Hepatitis B is an immune response-mediated disease.The aim of this study was to explore the differences of ratios of T-helper （Th） 2 cells to Thl cells and cytokine levels in acute hepatitis B （AHB） patients and chronic hepatitis B virus （HBV）-infected patients in immune-tolerance and immune-active phases.Methods：Thirty chronic HBV-infected patients in the immune-tolerant phase （IT group） and 50 chronic hepatitis B patients in the immuneactive （clearance） phase （IC group）,32 AHB patients （AHB group）,and 13 healthy individuals （HI group） were enrolled in the study.Th cell proportions in peripheral blood,cytokine levels in plasma,and serum levels of HBV DNA,hepatitis B surface antigen,and hepatitis B e antigen were detected.Results：The Th1 cell percentage and Th2/Th1 ratio in the HBV infection group （including IT,IC,and AHB groups） were significantly different from those in HI group （24.10% ± 8.66% and 1.72 ± 0.61 vs.15.16% ± 4.34% and 2.40 ± 0.74,respectively;all P 〈 0.001）.However,there were no differences in the Th1 cell percentages and Th2/Th1 ratios among the IT,IC,and AHB groups.In HBV infection group,the median levels of Flt3 ligand （Flt3L）,interferon （IFN）-γ,and interleukin （IL）-17A were significantly lower than those in HI group （29.26 pg/ml,33.72 pg/ml,and 12.27 pg/ml vs.108.54 pg/ml,66.48 pg/ml,and 35.96 pg/ml,respectively;all P 〈 0.05）.IFN-α2,IL-10,and transforming growth factor （TGF）-β2 median levels in hepatitis group （including patients in AHB and IC groups） were significantly higher than those in IT group （40.14 pg/ml,13.58 pg/ml,and 557.41 pg/ml vs.16.74 pg/ml,6.80 pg/ml,and 419.01 pg/ml,respectively;all P 〈 0.05）,while patients in hepatitis group had significant lower Flt3L level than IT patients （30.77 vs.59.96 pg/ml,P =0.021）.Compared with IC group,patients in AHB group had significant higher median level s of IL-1 0,TGF-β 1,and TGF-β2 （22.77 pg/ml,10,447.00 pg/ml,and 782.28 pg/ml vs.8.66 pg/ml,3755.50 pg/ml,and 482.87 pg/ml,respectively;all P 〈 0.05）.Conclusions：Compared with chronic HBV-infected patients in immune-tolerance phase,chronic HBV-infected patients in immune-active phase and AHB patients had similar Th2/Th 1 ratios,significantly higher levels of IFN-α2,IL-10,and TGF-β.AHB patients had significantly higher IL-10 and TGF-β levels than chronic HBV-infected patients in immune-active phase.