Effects of entecavir on peripheral blood lymphocyte profiles in chronic hepatitis B patients with suboptimal responses to adefovir. (July 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zhang, Liwen; Wang, Quan; Zhao, Pingwei; Hu, Xiaoli; Jiang, Yanfang
• Is Part Of: Clinical and experimental pharmacology and physiology. Volume 41:Number 7(2014:Jul.)
• Page Start: 514
• Page End: 523
• Publication Date: 2014-07
• Subjects: Clinical pharmacology -- Periodicals; Pharmacology, Experimental -- Periodicals; Physiology, Experimental -- Periodicals; Physiology, Pathological -- Periodicals; 615.1
• DOI: 10.1111/1440-1681.12245
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0305-1870

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" id="cep12245-abs-0001"> <title>Summary</title> <p>The aim of the present study was to assess the long‐term impact of entecavir (ETV) on T, B and natural killer (NK) cell immunity in patients with suboptimal responses to adefovir (SRA) chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Thirty SRA CHB patients and 20 age‐ and gender‐matched healthy controls (HC) completed at least 6 months of ETV treatment. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA loads, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and the frequency of different subsets of T, B and NK cells in individual subjects were measured. There were smaller numbers of CD3<sup>–</sup>CD56<sup>+</sup> and CD244<sup>+</sup> NK cells, CD3<sup>+</sup>CD8<sup>+</sup> T cells and cytokine‐secreting CD4<sup>+</sup> T cells, but greater numbers of CD3<sup>+</sup>CD4<sup>+</sup>, CD4<sup>+</sup>CD25<sup>+</sup>Foxp3<sup>+</sup>, CD4<sup>+</sup>CD25<sup>+</sup>CD127<sup>low</sup> T cells and CD19<sup>+</sup>CD27<sup>+</sup> B cells, detected in SRA patients. After switching to ETV monotherapy, the levels of HBV DNA and hepatitis B s antigen, as well as hepatitis B e antigen seropositivity, decreased gradually, accompanied by decreases in ALT and AST levels. Furthermore, the number of NK, CD8<sup>+</sup> and cytokine‐secreting CD4<sup>+</sup> T cells increased, whereas the number of CD4<sup>+</sup>, CD4<sup>+</sup>CD25<sup>+</sup>Foxp3<sup>+</sup>, CD4<sup>+</sup>CD25<sup>+</sup>CD127<sup>low</sup> T cells and CD19<sup>+</sup>CD27<sup>+</sup> B cells decreased, in SRA CHB patients. The frequency of CD4<sup>+</sup> interferon‐<italic>γ</italic>‐positive T cells was negatively associated with serum HBV DNA levels. Thus, treatment with ETV inhibits HBV replication, modulates T and NK cell immunity and improves liver function in SRA CHB patients.</p> </abstract>