Estradiol receptors in the cytosol of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in hepatitis B virus carriers treated with interferon-alpha.

Estradiol receptors in the cytosol of peripheral blood mononuclear cells and the effects of interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) on estradiol receptors were studied in asymptomatic hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriers, patients with chronic hepatitis B and normal controls. The level of estradiol receptors in the cytosol of mononuclear cells was significantly lower in asymptomatic HBV carriers and patients with chronic hepatitis B, compared to normal controls. This low level of cytosol estradiol receptors in patients with chronic hepatitis B was increased by the administration of IFN-alpha. In addition, when peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with chronic hepatitis B were incubated with IFN-alpha in vitro, the level of cytosol estradiol receptors also increased by increasing the concentration of IFN-alpha. We previously reported that the response of mononuclear cells to estrogen is impaired in HBV carriers, and our present results suggested that this may be due to the low level of estradiol receptors in the cytosol of mononuclear cells.