[Apoptosis of peripheral blood lymphocytes of patients with chronic hepatitis B and clinical significance].
OBJECTIVE
To explore the effects of apoptosis of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) of patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) on the persistent infection of hepatitis B virus (HBV).


METHODS
The PBLs of 15 patients with CHB were isolated and cultured with or without Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin B (SEB; 0.2 mg/L), or in the presence or absence of recombinant HBcAg (rHBcAg; 1.0 mg/L) for 48 hours in vitro. After incubations, the cells were harvested by centrifugation and then apoptosis of the PBLs was studied by staining with fluorescent dyes YOPRO-1 and Hoechst33342.


RESULTS
The percentage of apoptotic cells of PBLs of patients with CHB was significantly higher than in normal controls (P < 0.01) in the presence or absence of SEB or rHBcAg, but the ratio of apoptotic cells in rHBcAg-stimulated PBLs of the patients was the highest, reaching (24.6 +/- 6.1)%. The patients with seropositive for HBeAg had higher percentage of apoptotic cells in their cultured PBLs than those with seronegative for HBeAg had, but the ratio of apoptotic cells in cultured PBLs of the patients with chronic heavy and severe hepatitis B was lower than that of the patients with chronic mild and moderate hepatitis B (P < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Activation-induced cell death of PBLs of the patients with CHB may be related to persistent infection of HBV, and assay of apoptosis of PBLs of patients with CHB may provide valuable information about pathogenesis of CHB.
Ji
W
W
Hospital of PLA, Beijing.
Wang
H
H
Feng
C
C
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017209:Apoptosis; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000276:immunology; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
D004768:Enterotoxins; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens; C031818:enterotoxin B, staphylococcal