[Phenotypes and functions of dendritic cells derived from peripheral blood monocytes of chronic hepatitis B patients with different HBV DNA loads].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the phenotypes and functions of peripheral blood monocyte derived dendritic cells (DC) of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with different HBV DNA loads.


METHODS
Twenty-eight CHB patients were included in this study. All patients were treated with nucleoside analogues (lamivudine or LdT or adefovir) for 24 weeks. Peripheral blood HBV DNA loads and liver biopsies were assessed before and after the treatment. The patients were divided into two groups according to their peripheral blood HBV DNA loads: a high-load group with HBV DNA loads higher than 10(5) copies/ml, and a low-load group with HBV DNA loads lower than 10(3) copies/ml. Ten healthy people were included as controls. Peripheral blood DC of each subject was enriched. The phenotypes of DC were subjected to flow cytometric analysis. The lymphocyte allo-stimulatory capacity of DC was evaluated through MTT assay. IL-10 and IL-12 production were quantified by ELISA.


RESULTS
DC proliferated successfully when stimulated by cytokines in vitro; however, DC of the CHB patients proliferated much slower than those of the healthy controls. The expression of DC surface molecules such as HLA-DR, CD86, CD80 and CD83 had a positive rate of over 80% in the normal population. However in our CHB patients they showed lower than normal expressions, especially the HLA-DR, CD86, CD80 and CD83, but the differences were not significant between the two groups with different virus loads. The stimulatory capacity of the DC in mixed lymphocyte reaction showed no difference between the two groups of patients, but both were lower than that of the healthy controls. The production of IL-12 and IL-10 also decreased significantly in the patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Peripheral DC of CHB patients have some defects in their phenotypes and their stimulatory capacity. The changes in phenotypes and down-regulation of the functions are not relevant to peripheral HBV DNA loads of the patients.
Chen
Ming-quan
MQ
Department of Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China.
Shi
Guang-feng
GF
Lu
Qing
Q
Li
Qian
Q
Zhang
Qiong-hua
QH
Qin
Qang
Q
Weng
Xin-hua
XH
D000328:Adult; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010641:Phenotype; D019562:Viral Load; D055815:Young Adult