HBV specific T-cell responses in hepatitis B.

BACKGROUND

Cellular immune responses seem to prevail in acute hepatitis, whereas chronically infected patients demonstrate generally suppressed cellular immune responses and significantly greater antibody responses.

AIM: To study hepatitis B virus (HBV) specific T cell proliferative responses in HBV related liver diseases.

METHODS

We analyzed the T lymphocyte proliferative responses to the nonspecific mitogen phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and the HBV specific hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAg) by calculating T cell proliferation index in 10 acute viral hepatitis (AVH) patients, 19 chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients, 10 HBV cirrhotics, 10 inactive carriers and 10 healthy controls using MTT assay.

RESULTS

The mean proliferation index (PI) to PHA was highest in healthy controls (133.2 +/- 58.1) and lowest in cirrhotics (44.1 +/- 46.9) with all other groups falling in between. On comparing the mean T cell responses to HBcAg, AVH patients had the highest mean response (186.48 +/- 116.37) followed by CHB (137.9 +/- 134.3), inactive carriers (63.2 +/- 41.2) and cirrhotics (55.5 +/- 42.7).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with AVH had the highest T cell response to HBcAg, which probably explains the clearance of virus in these patients, in contrast to patients with cirrhosis who had the lowest T cell response.