Viral suppression correlates with dendritic cell restoration in chronic hepatitis B patients with autologous cytokine-induced killer cell transfusion.
BACKGROUND
Myeloid and plasmacytoid dendritic cells (mDCs, pDCs) are functionally impaired in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Adoptive immunotherapy can suppress hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication in CHB patients, but whether it can restore the functionality of mDCs and pDCs remains unknown.


METHODS
Autologous cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells obtained from 14 CHB patients were transfused back to patients, case by case, to observe the effect of CIK-cell treatment on the frequency and functionality of mDCs and pDCs in CHB patients during a 24-week follow-up investigation.


RESULTS
Seven virological responders exhibited a sustained decrease in HBV load after CIK-cell transfusion; another seven non-virological responders showed only sustained high levels of HBV load during the 24-week period following CIK-cell transfusion. The rate of hepatitis B e antigen loss or seroconversion was also higher in virological responders than in non-virological responders. Importantly, we found that the frequency and cytokine-producing capacity of mDCs and pDCs increased significantly in virological responders, but not in non-virological responders. In addition, these patients exhibited a close correlation between restoration DC subsets and a decrease in HBV DNA load, rather than a change in the alanine aminotransferase level.


CONCLUSIONS
Cytokine-induced killer-cell treatment reduced HBV DNA load in some CHB patients; the efficiency at least partially correlates with the restoration of frequency and functionality of mDCs and pDCs.
Shi
Ming
M
Research Center for Biological Therapy, Beijing Institute of Infectious Diseases, Beijing 302 Hospital, Beijing, China.
Fu
Junliang
J
Shi
Feng
F
Zhang
Bin
B
Tang
Zirong
Z
Zhang
Zheng
Z
Zhang
Hui
H
Jin
Lei
L
Chen
Liming
L
Wang
Huifeng
H
Akbar
Sheikh Mohammad Fazle
SM
Wang
Fu-Sheng
FS
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D055612:Cytokine-Induced Killer Cells / Q000637:transplantation*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000276:immunology; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000276:immunology*; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D016219:Immunotherapy, Adoptive / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019562:Viral Load
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D016207:Cytokines