title: [Effect of bicyclol tablets on cellular immune responses in patients with chronic hepatitis B].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the effect of bicyclol tablets on the levels of interleukin (IL)-4, IL-10 and interferon (IFN)-gamma in culture supernatants of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB).
  
  
  METHODS
  Whole blood samples were obtained from 30 patients with CHB before and at 1 and 3 months during bicyclol tablet therapy and also from 7 healthy donors for isolation of the PBMCs. The product of IL-4, IL-10 and IFN-gamma in the culture supernatant of PBMCs were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) after 72 h of cultivation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At 3 months during the therapy, the level of IFN-gamma was increased significantly in the patients from 36.25+/-19.92 pg/ml to 53.19+/-7.28 pg/ml (P<0.05) and the level of IL-4 significantly decreased from 17.18+/-7.43 pg/ml to 9.74+/-7.75 pg/ml (P<0.01). The changes in the levels of IL-4 and IFN-gamma at 3 months during therapy were more obvious in patients with HBeAg positivity than in HBeAg-negative patients (8.74+/-6.12 pg/ml vs 20.51+/-9.16 pg/ml, 50.71+/-30.76 pg/ml vs 26.03+/-10.48 pg/ml, respectively, P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Bicyclol tablets not only promote Th1 type cytokine-mediated immune responses but also down-regulates Th2 type cytokine-mediated immune responses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China. gootlight2001@sina.com
authors.forename: Bin-bin
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Fan-yuan
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: Jin-lin
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Hou
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001713:Biphenyl Compounds / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000097:blood; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000097:blood; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000097:blood; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013607:Tablets
chemical_list: D001713:Biphenyl Compounds; D013607:Tablets; D016753:Interleukin-10; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma; C477843:bicyclol