The Effect Of Peginterferon-alph2a On Peripheral T Lymphocyte Subsets And Its Significance In Patients With Chronic Hepatitis B

[Objective]To study the changes of peripheral T lymphocyte subsets and its significance in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) during peginterferon-alph2a treatment.[Methods]Fifty-two patients with chronic hepatitis B were recruited and received peginterferon-alph2a treatment for48weeks.Before and during the12,48months of treatment, flow cytometry was used to detect the Peripheral T lymphocyte subsets. realtime PCR was used to detect the levels of HBV DNA in the serum. Markers of hepatitis B virus infection were detected by ELISA assay and levels of alanine aminotransferase in the serum were also measured by automatic biochemical analyzer.[Results]The proportion of peripheral blood CD4+T、CD4+T/CD8+T in patients with CHB was significantly lower than that in healthy people and the proportion of peripheral blood CD8+T lymphocytes are increasing. During48weeks of INFa treatment the proportion of peripheral blood CD4+T lymphocytes and the ratio of CD4+T/CD8+T increased gradually, the proportion of peripheral blood CD8+T lymphocytes decreased to normal level after48weeks’INFa treatment. The rate of undetectable HBV DNA in patients whose proportion of peripheral blood CD4+T、 CD4+T/CD8+T was increased (10/11,90.9%) was higher than those whose CD4+T、 CD4+T/CD8+T had been reduced (28/41,68.3%), but the difference was not statistically significant(P>0.05).12or48weeks of INFa treatment resulted in HBeAg negativity in28.8%patients,51.9%patients respectively. In11(21.1%) patients who had seroconvertion from HBeAg to anti-HBeAg, after12months of INFa treatment, their proportion of peripheral blood CD4+T、CD4+T/CD8+T had increased to level comparable to that of the healthy people.[Conclusion] INFa treatment reduces HBV replication and increases the proportion of peripheral blood CD4+T\CD4+T/CD8+T. In addition, patients who have their proportion of peripheral blood CD4+T\CD4+T/CD8+T increased quickly at the early phase of INFa treatment are prone to have higher sustain virus response and higher biochemical response.