title: Viral suppression correlates with dendritic cell restoration in chronic hepatitis B patients with autologous cytokine-induced killer cell transfusion.
abstract: 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.
authors: Research Center for Biological Therapy, Beijing Institute of Infectious Diseases, Beijing 302 Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors: Ming
authors: M
authors: Shi
authors: Junliang
authors: J
authors: Fu
authors: Feng
authors: F
authors: Shi
authors: Bin
authors: B
authors: Zhang
authors: Zirong
authors: Z
authors: Tang
authors: Zheng
authors: Z
authors: Zhang
authors: Hui
authors: H
authors: Zhang
authors: Lei
authors: L
authors: Jin
authors: Liming
authors: L
authors: Chen
authors: Huifeng
authors: H
authors: Wang
authors: Sheikh Mohammad Fazle
authors: SM
authors: Akbar
authors: Fu-Sheng
authors: FS
authors: Wang
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D016207:Cytokines