Expression And Clinical Signigicance Of PD-L1 In Liver Tissues In Patients With Chronic HBV Infection

ObjectiveTo investigate expression of PD-L1 in hepatic tissues at the different stages of hepatitis B virus infection, compare with inflammatory grading, fibrosis grading, hepatic function, enzymogram and HBV DNA load, and clarify the mechanism of chronic hepatitis B.MethodThe expression of PD-L1 was detected by immunohistochemistry and computer image quantitative analysis in the hepatic tissues of 65 patients with chronic hepatitis B (including 4 groups of ASC, CHL, CHM, CHH, in which enrolled 5,20,24,16) and hepatic haemangioma patients of 5 as normal controls, and the correlation analysis have been made between the inflammatory and fibrosis grading in the hepatic tissues and ALT, AST, TBIL, HBVDNA load in serum.ResultsThe expression of PD-L1 in hepatic tissues due to hepatitis B virus infection was significiently stronger than that in controls (P<0.05). In all the subjects, the fluctuant level of PD-L1 was positively correlated with inflammation and fibrosis grading of hepatitis tissues, TBIL, ALT and AST level in serum (r=0.905,0.883,0.754,0.474,0.578, P<0.05), and negatively correlated with serum HBVDNA load (r=-0.612, P<0.05).ConclusionThe increased PD-L1 expression may probably involve in the genesis and progress of hepatitis B virus infection, which might hope to be new targets of immunity therapy of chronic hepatitis B.