Effects of interferon-alpha treatment on hepatitis B virus antigen-specific immunologic responses in patients with chronic hepatitis B.
Studies were undertaken to evaluate the relationship between the immune responses and the effectiveness of interferon-alpha treatment in 21 patients with HBeAg-positive chronic active hepatitis. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), obtained on four occasions during an 8-week course of IFN-alpha therapy, were cultured with recombinant HBcAg, purified HBeAg or pokeweed mitogen (PWM). During follow-up for 6 months after therapy, clearance of serum HBeAg was observed in eight patients designated as responders. Immunological responses of PBMC obtained before treatment did not differ between responders and non-responders. In responders, IFN-gamma and anti-HBc production was depressed during therapy, but recovered to above the pretreatment level at the end of and/or after cessation of therapy, while lymphocyte proliferation was enhanced during therapy with a subsequent decline to baseline value. In non-responders, such changes were modest throughout the study, and anti-HBc response remained decreased even after cessation of therapy. These results indicate that PBMC of responders have immunologically different responses to IFN-alpha therapy when compared with non-responders.
Third Department of Internal Medicine, Nagoya University School of Medicine, Japan.
T
T
Ishikawa
S
S
Kakumu
K
K
Yoshioka
S
S
Kurokawa
A
A
Kusakabe
H
H
Tahara
H
H
Hirofuji
M
M
Kawabe
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy*; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011994:Recombinant Proteins
D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens; D007370:Interferon Type I; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D007371:Interferon-gamma