RESUMEN
AIM: To observe the effects of high-dose hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) vaccine on cellular immune response in BALB/C mice. METHODS: The mice were immunilized separately with low-dose and high-dose HBsAg vaccine by intramuscular injection two times. The specific proliferative activities of T lymphocytes were measured by [ 3H]-TdR incorporation assay. IL-2 as well as IFN-? levels in the culture supernatant of T cells and anti-HBs IgG2a lever in sera were detected by enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay. RESULTS: After first vaccination with high-dose HBsAg, the proliferative activities of T cells in the experimental group were significantly stronger, both levels of IL-2 and IFN-? were markedly higher than that in the control group and the percentage of mice to produce serum anti-HBs IgG2a was significantly higher compared to that of mice immunilized by low-dose HBsAg. All data in experimental groups were further increased after second dose of vaccine. CONCLUSION: Vaccination of mice with high-dose HBsAg can induce cellular immune responses tended to Th1(T helper 1 subset) response.