The Impact And Significance Of Anti-viral Therapy On The Expression Of CD4~+CD25~+Foxp3~+T Cells In Patients With Chronic Hepatitis B

Objective To investigate the expression level of CD4+貌一新CD25+ Foxp3+T cells(Tregs) in peripheral blood of patients with chronic hepatitis B(CHB), the clinical efficacy of anti-viral therapy and Changes in regulatory T cells under such therapeutic intervention. To preliminarly study the relationship between regulatory T cells and chronicity of hepatitis B infection.Methods The frequency and phenotype of peripheral Tregs cells of 52 patients with CHB pre treatment and at week 12 follow up,simultaneously 17 healthy controls enrolled,were detected by flow cytometry. Antigen-antibody of HBV,HBVDNA and liver function were detected in 52CHB patients pre treatment and at week 12 follow up in the laboratory of infectious diseases.Results The expression level of CD4+CD25highT cells (4.993±2.34)% and CD4+CD25+Foxp3+T cells(3.02±1.85)% in the peripheral CD4+ T blood of CHB patients was significantly higher than that (3.693±1.94)%,(1.43±1.01)% of healthy controls (P<0.05) and also higher than that of post-treated ones(P<0.05). The expression level of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+T cells had no significant correlation with ALT,TBIL,HBVDNA,HBeAg (r=-0.115,-0.112,-0.268 and -0.227, P >0.05),but significantly positive correlate with the expression level of CD4+CD25highT cells (r=0.812, P<0.05). Anti-viral therapy can improve liver function in CHB patients,reduce HBVDNA load and HBeAg titer (P<0.05),but this role of reducement as to HBsAg was not obvious (t=1.009,P>0.05).The expression level of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+T cells of patients with partial virological response (1.979±1.104)% or serological response (1.728±1.017)% or biochemical response (2.109±0.94)% was significantly lower than that (2.976±1.23)%,(2.975±1.143)%,(3.194±1.28)% of patients without response(t= 2.294,-2.062,-2.086,P<0.05). The level of Treg in patients with decreased values≥1log of HBsAg titer (2.219±1.064)% was significantly lower than that(3.246±1.313)% of patients with decreased values<1log after treatment (t=-2.165, P<0.05), this result was also obvious in patients with diffenent decreased values of HBeAg titer (t=-2.336, P< 0.05).Conclusion Increased expression of Tregs lead to immune tolerance which result in virus-clear uncompletely may be related to chronicity and persistence of hepatitis B virus infection. The activity of anti-viral, immunomodulatory of interferon drugs may be associated with lower expression levels of Treg cells. The expression level of CD4+CD25highT cells and CD4+CD25+Foxp3+T cells have a good positive correlation, both can be detected as phenotype of Treg cells, but the former is easier to operate.