Analysis of peripheral blood lymphocyte status in low-level-viremia patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection after nucleos(t)ide analogue treatment / 中华微生物学和免疫学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To evaluate the status of T, B and NK lymphocytes in peripheral blood of patients with chronic hepatitis B virus(HBV) infection and low-level viremia after nucleos(t)ide analogue (NA) treatment and to provide ideas for solving low-level viremia.Methods:This retrospective study involved 344 patients with chronic HBV infection who had been treated with NAs. They were divided into two groups low-level viremia group (LLV group) and complete virological response group (CVR group). Clinical data including basic information, biochemistry and coagulation test results, HBV DNA, peripheral blood lymphocyte counts, PD1 and CD28 expression by T lymphocytes, and perforin and granzyme B expression by NK lymphocytes were collected and compared between the two groups. Propensity matching analysis was performed to verify the accuracy of the results.Results:Among the 344 cases, 162 were in the LLV group and 182 in the CVR group. There were no significant differences in disease diagnosis, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) or albumin (ALB) level between the two groups ( P>0.05), but the differences in gender and age were statistically significant ( P<0.05). The differences in the counts and percentages of peripheral blood CD3 +, CD4 + and CD8 + T lymphocyte and CD4 + /CD8 + ratios between the two groups were not statistically significant ( P>0.05), but the expression of PD1 and CD28 by peripheral blood CD3 +, CD4 + and CD8 + T lymphocytes was higher in the LLV group than in the CVR group ( P<0.05). The count of peripheral blood CD19 + B lymphocytes in the LLV group was higher than that in the CVR group ( P>0.05), and the percentage of peripheral blood CD19 + B lymphocytes was also higher in the LLV group ( P<0.05). The count of peripheral blood CD16 + CD56 + NK lymphocytes and the expression of perforin in the LLV group were lower than those in the CVR group ( P>0.05). The percentage of peripheral blood CD16 + CD56 + NK lymphocytes and the expression of granzyme B in the LLV group were lower than those in the CVR group ( P<0.05). After propensity score matching, 108 cases in the LLV group and 108 cases in the CVR group showed no significant differences in basic information ( P>0.05); the percentage of CD4 + T lymphocytes and CD4 + /CD8 + ratio in peripheral blood T lymphocyte subsets were higher in the LLV group than in the CVR group, while the percentage of CD8 + lymphocytes was lower in the LLV group ( P<0.05); the expression of PD1 and CD28 by CD3 +, CD4 + and CD8 + T lymphocytes remained higher in the LLV group ( P<0.05); the differences in the counts and percentages of peripheral blood CD19 + B lymphocytes as well as CD16 + CD56 + NK lymphocytes between the two groups were not statistically significant ( P>0.05); no significant difference in the expression of perforin by CD16 + CD56 + NK lymphocytes was found between the two groups ( P>0.05), and the expression of granzyme B remained lower in the LLV group ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Abnormal number and function of T lymphocytes and decreased function of NK lymphocytes might be related to the development of LLV in patients with chronic HBV infection after treatment. Therefore, in addition to adjusting NAs, targeting of T and NK lymphocytes might also be a feasible measure for future LLV treatment.