Laboratory of Molecular Virology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Laboratory of Innovations in Therapies, Teaching and Bioproducts, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Microbiol Immunol. 2022 Jan;66(1):31-39. doi: 10.1111/1348-0421.12947. Epub 2021 Nov 25.
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is one of the leading causes of acute and chronic hepatitis and represents a serious public health threat. Cytokines are important chemical mediators that regulate the differentiation, proliferation, and function of immune cells, with accumulating evidence indicating that the inadequate immune responses are responsible for the elimination or persistence of HBV. This study aimed to determine the cytokine profiles (IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, and IL-17A) during HBV infection and investigate their association with genotypes. A total of 66 plasma samples, 19 from patients with acute and 47 with chronic hepatitis B infection, were subjected to biochemical tests, nested-PCR, and real-time PCR, with cytokines evaluated using a commercial BD Cytometric Bead Array Human Th1/Th2/Th17 Cytokine Kit. Healthy controls (10 individuals) were selected from blood donors with no history of liver diseases. No correlation was found between genotypes, viral load, and cytokines analyzed. All cytokines showed higher levels of production among infected individuals when compared with the control group. A positive correlation classified as moderate to strong was found between cytokines IFN-γ, TNF, IL-10, IL-6, IL-4, and IL-2 through the Spearman correlation coefficient. TNF (P = 0.009), IL-10 (P < 0.001), and IL-6 (P < 0.001) levels were higher in acute individuals compared with chronic and control groups. Theses cytokines could be involved in the elimination of virus and protection against chronicity.
乙型肝炎病毒（HBV）是导致急性和慢性肝炎的主要原因之一，也是严重的公共卫生威胁。细胞因子是调节免疫细胞分化、增殖和功能的重要化学介质，越来越多的证据表明，免疫反应不足是导致 HBV 消除或持续存在的原因。本研究旨在确定 HBV 感染期间的细胞因子谱（IFN-γ、TNF-α、IL-2、IL-4、IL-6、IL-10 和 IL-17A），并探讨其与基因型的关系。共检测了 66 份血浆样本，其中 19 份来自急性乙型肝炎患者，47 份来自慢性乙型肝炎患者，进行了生化检测、巢式 PCR 和实时 PCR，使用商业 BD Cytometric Bead Array Human Th1/Th2/Th17 Cytokine Kit 评估细胞因子。从无肝脏疾病史的献血者中选择了 10 名健康对照者。基因型、病毒载量和分析的细胞因子之间没有相关性。与对照组相比，所有感染个体的细胞因子产生水平均较高。通过 Spearman 相关系数发现，细胞因子 IFN-γ、TNF、IL-10、IL-6、IL-4 和 IL-2 之间存在正相关，且关联程度为中度至高度。与慢性和对照组相比，急性个体的 TNF（P=0.009）、IL-10（P<0.001）和 IL-6（P<0.001）水平更高。这些细胞因子可能参与了病毒的清除和对慢性感染的保护。
