Increased levels of IL‐21 responses are associated with the severity of liver injury in patients with chronic active hepatitis B. Issue 9 (10th March 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Pan, Q.; Yu, Y.; Tang, Z.; Xi, M.; Jiang, H.; Xun, Y.; Liu, X.; Liu, H.; Hu, J.; Zang, G.
• Is Part Of: Journal of viral hepatitis. Volume 21:Issue 9(2014)
• Page Start: e78
• Page End: e88
• Publication Date: 2014-03-10
• Subjects: Hepatitis, Viral -- Periodicals; Hepatitis, Viral, Animal; Hepatitis, Viral, Human; 616.3623
• DOI: 10.1111/jvh.12242
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1352-0504

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" id="jvh12242-abs-0001"> <title>Summary</title> <p>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<sup>+</sup> 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<sup>+</sup>CD3<sup>+</sup>CD8<sup>−</sup> and IL‐21<sup>+</sup>CD3<sup>+</sup>CD8<sup>+</sup> T cells and the levels of serum IL‐21 in CAHB patients were significantly higher than that in the IC, CHC patients and HC (<italic>P</italic> < 0.001) and were correlated positively with the levels of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT, <italic> r</italic> = 0.424, <italic>P</italic> < 0.001; <italic>r</italic> = 0.392, <italic>P</italic> = 0.001) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST, <italic> r</italic> = 0.388, <italic>P</italic> = 0.001; <italic>r</italic> = 0.329, <italic>P</italic> = 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 (<italic>P</italic> < 0.01 or <italic>P</italic> < 0.05). Our findings suggest that aberrant IL‐21 responses may be associated with the progression of CHB.</p> </abstract>