title: Increased levels of IL-21 responses are associated with the severity of liver injury in patients with chronic active hepatitis B.
abstract: Interleukin-21 (IL-21) participates in tissue damage in various immune-mediated diseases. Its role in the pathogenesis of chronic active hepatitis B (CAHB) has not been clarified. The frequency of circulating IL-21(+) T cells and the levels of serum and intrahepatic IL-21 have been characterized in 70 CAHB patients, 32 inactive carrier (IC), 18 chronic hepatitis C (CHC) and 20 healthy controls (HC). Their potential association with liver injury was analysed. The percentages of IL-21(+) CD3(+) CD8(-) and IL-21(+) CD3(+) CD8(+) T cells and the levels of serum IL-21 in CAHB patients were significantly higher than that in the IC, CHC patients and HC (P < 0.001) and were correlated positively with the levels of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT, r = 0.424, P < 0.001; r = 0.392, P = 0.001) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST, r = 0.388, P = 0.001; r = 0.329, P = 0.005) in CAHB patients, respectively. The levels of IL-21 expression in the liver tissues were associated significantly with increased degrees of inflammation and fibrosis in CAHB patients (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05). Our findings suggest that aberrant IL-21 responses may be associated with the progression of CHB.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Disease, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Xi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xun
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D017252:CD3 Complex / Q000032:analysis; D016827:CD8 Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007378:Interleukins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood*; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000737:chemistry*; D000098546:Interleukin-21
chemical_list: D017252:CD3 Complex; D016827:CD8 Antigens; D007378:Interleukins; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D000098546:Interleukin-21
keywords: chronic active Hepatitis B; interleukin-21; liver damage