The relationship between the clearance of HBsAg and the remodeling of B cell subsets in CHB patients treated with Peg-IFN-α
Zeqian Wu, Lei Tan, Weiqiang Gan, Zhishuo Mo, Dabiao Chen, Peipei Wang, Qiyi Zhao, Dong‐Ying Xie, Zhiliang Gao
Abstract
Background: The seroconversion of the hepatitis B antigen is the ideal outcome for long-acting interferon-pegylated interferon-α (Peg-IFN-α) treatment among patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). B-cell response plays an important role in the process of hepatitis B antigen clearance, but the specific mechanism by which B-cell improve hepatitis B virus (HBV) is still unclear. Methods: A total of 103 CHB patients participated in this study. The patients received 24 weeks of Peg-IFN-α treatment. Flow cytometry was used to detect B-cell surface markers’ cluster of differentiation cluster of differentiation CD19, CD24, and CD27 in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of CHB patients before and after 24 weeks of Peg-IFN-α treatment. Results: After 24 weeks of Peg-IFN-α treatment, the content of memory B cells (CD19+CD27+) and effector B cells (CD19+CD38+) increased significantly. Further analysis showed that the clearance of the hepatitis B antigen was correlated with the change value, ΔT, of plasma cells before and after treatment. The B-cell subsets (CD19+CD24+; CD19+CD40+; CD19+CD40+; CD19+CD80+), was also tested and the results showed that CD19+CD24+ and CD19+CD80+ content also increased significantly after treatment. Conclusions: After Peg-IFN-α treatment, the B-cell subsets of CHB patients are remodeled. Thus, Peg-IFN-α treatment appears to play an important role in the remodeling of B cell subsets and the clearance of HBV antigens. The results of this study provide a theoretical basis and guidance for the clinical treatment of CHB.