Basic Research
Copyright ©2008 The WJG Press and Baishideng. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jun 21, 2008; 14(23): 3710-3718
Published online Jun 21, 2008. doi: 10.3748/wjg.14.3710
Hepatitis B virus DNA is more powerful than HBeAg in predicting peripheral T-lymphocyte subpopulations in chronic HBV-infected individuals with normal liver function tests
Jing You, Hutcha Sriplung, Alan Geater, Virasakdi Chongsuvivatwong, Lin Zhuang, Hong-Ying Chen, Jun-Hua Huang, Bao-Zhang Tang
Jing You, Hutcha Sriplung, Alan Geater, Virasakdi Chongsuvivatwong, Epidemiology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla 90110, Thailand
Lin Zhuang, Department of Hepatology, Third Municipal People’s Hospital of Kunming, Kunming 650041, Yunnan Province, China
Hong-Ying Chen, Bao-Zhang Tang, Department of Infectious Diseases, First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650032, Yunnan Province, China
Jun-Hua Huang, Department of Infectious Diseases, Yunnan General Hospital of the Chinese People’s Armed Police Forces, Kunming 650111, Yunnan Province, China
Author contributions: You J, Sriplung H, Geater A and Chongsuvivatwong V conceptualized the study; You J and staff of the research group assisted with the data collection; You J was responsible for data management and data analysis; You J was responsible for interpretation of data; Sriplung H, Geater A and Chongsuvivatwong V provided advice and review; You J wrote the manuscript; All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Correspondence to: Jing You, Epidemiology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla 90110, Thailand. jingyoukm@126.com
Telephone: +66-84-6320906
Fax: +66-74-212900
Received: January 26, 2008
Revised: March 2, 2008
Accepted: March 9, 2008
Published online: June 21, 2008
Abstract

AIM: To investigate the peripheral T-lymphocyte subpopulation profile, and its correlations with hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication level in chronic HBV-infected (CHI) individuals with normal liver function tests (LFTs).

METHODS: Frequencies of T-lymphocyte subpopu-lations in peripheral blood were measured by flow cytometry in 216 CHI individuals. HBV markers were detected with ELISA. Serum HBV DNA load was assessed with quantitative real-time PCR. Information of age at HBV infection, and maternal HBV infection status was collected. ANOVA linear trend test and linear regression were used in statistical analysis.

RESULTS: CHI individuals had significantly decreased relative frequencies of CD3+, CD4+ subpopulations and CD4+/CD8+ ratio, and increased CD8+ subset percentage compared with uninfected individuals (all P < 0.001). There was a significant linear relationship between the load of HBV DNA and the parameters of T-lymphocyte subpopulations (ANOVA linear trend test P < 0.01). The parameters were also significantly worse among individuals whose mothers were known to be HBV carriers, and those having gained infection before the age of 8 years. In multiple regressions, after adjustment for age at HBV infection and status of maternal HBV infection, log copies of HBV DNA maintained its highly significant predictive coefficient on T-lymphocyte subpopulations, whereas the effect of HBeAg was not significant.

CONCLUSION: HBV DNA correlates with modification in the relative T-lymphocyte subpopulation frequencies. High viral load is more powerful than HBeAg in predicting the impaired balance of T-cell subsets.

Keywords: Hepatitis B virus, Chronic hepatitis B virus infection, Hepatitis B virus DNA, T-lymphocyte subpopulation, Immune function