Letters To The Editor
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World J Gastrointest Pathophysiol. Feb 15, 2013; 4(1): 24-27
Published online Feb 15, 2013. doi: 10.4291/wjgp.v4.i1.24
Serum cytokine profile in patients with hepatitis B e antigen-negative chronic active hepatitis B and inactive hepatitis B virus carriers
Dimitra Dimitropoulou, Marina Karakantza, Georgios L Theodorou, Lydia Leonidou, Stelios F Assimakopoulos, Athanasia Mouzaki, Charalambos A Gogos
Dimitra Dimitropoulou, Lydia Leonidou, Stelios F Assimakopoulos, Charalambos A Gogos, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Patras, 26504 Patras, Greece
Marina Karakantza, Georgios L Theodorou, Athanasia Mouzaki, Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Patras, 26504 Patras, Greece
Author contributions: Gogos CA, Karakantza M and Mouzaki A designed the study; Dimitropoulou D, Theodorou GL and Leonidou L acquired the data; Assimakopoulos SF performed the statistical analyses; Dimitropoulou D and Gogos CA interpreted the results; Dimitropoulou D wrote the paper; Gogos CA and Assimakopoulos SF critically revised the manuscript for intellectual content.
Correspondence to: Stelios F Assimakopoulos, MD, PhD, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Patras, 26504 Patras, Greece. sassim@upatras.gr
Telephone: +30-2610-999583 Fax: +30-2610-993982
Received: July 20, 2012
Revised: December 5, 2012
Accepted: January 29, 2013
Published online: February 15, 2013
Abstract

An insufficient cellular immune response seems to be critical for the immunopathogenesis of chronic hepatitis B virus infection. We have previously demonstrated no differences of T-lymphocyte subsets in blood between inactive hepatitis B s antigen (HBsAg) carriers and patients with HBeAg-negative chronic active hepatitis B. This study investigated the peripheral blood cytokine profile in patients with HBeAg-negative chronic active hepatitis B infection (Group A, n = 21) and inactive HBsAg carriers (Group B, n = 13). Serum cytokines [interferon (IFN)-γ, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1b, IL-4, IL-12, IL-10, IL-2, IL-5, IL-8] were analyzed by using flow cytometry. Patients with chronic active disease presented with significantly decreased levels of IFN-γ and IL-10 compared to inactive carriers (P = 0.048 and P = 0.008, respectively). In HBeAg-negative chronic active hepatitis B patients, a significant negative correlation of IFN-γ levels with serum hepatitis B viral load was noted (P = 0.021). In conclusion, patients with HBeAg-negative chronic active hepatitis B and HBsAg inactive carriers display a different cytokine profile. Decreased Th1 response observed in patients with chronic active hepatitis B could be implicated in the persistence of virus replication and ongoing progression of liver disease.

Keywords: Cytokines, Hepatitis B, Flow cytometry, Immunoreactive fibronectin-γ