title: [Changes of antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes during acute flare-ups in chronic hepatitis B patients].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To detect HBV antigen specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) changes in patients during acute flare-ups and to study their association with flare-ups and aggravations into grave hepatitis by quantitative analysis of HLA-A2* restricted HBcAg-specific CTL cells.
  
  
  METHODS
  The frequency of HBcAg-specific CTL cells in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from 29 patients with persistent infection with HBV were quantified by flow cytometry using one HLA-A2*HBV peptide pentamers complex (Pro5TM MHC Pentamers).
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a statistical difference of HBcAg specific CTLs between the patients with acute exacerbations (1.4%+/-0.8%) and the patients with immune tolerance (0.6%+/-0.4%) (t = 2.180, P = 0.01-0.05); There was no significant difference between the grave hepatitis group (1.3%+/-1.0%) and the chronic hepatitis group (1.4%+/-0.8%) regarding frequencies of antigen specific CTL (t = 0.215, P = 0.833-0.05). The level of antigen specific CTLs in PBMC in the 6 cases of chronic hepatitis B with acute exacerbations maintained a relatively high level (more than 0.7%) within the 12 week follow-up period.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HBcAg-specific CTLs may play an important role in hepatic flare-ups in patients with chronic HBV infection, but there was no direct relationship between antigen- specific CTLs and grave hepatitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510630, China. denghong2@163.net
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Yu-Tian
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Chong
authors.forename: Xiao-Yan
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Fu-Cheng
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xiao-Mou
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Zhi-Liang
authors.initials: ZL
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Ji-Lu
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Yao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D015789:HLA-A2 Antigen / Q000276:immunology; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000276:immunology*; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*; D019562:Viral Load; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015789:HLA-A2 Antigen; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens