Dimitriadis Konstantinos, Katelani Stamatia, Pappa Maria, Fragkoulis George E, Androutsakos Theodoros
Department of Pathophysiology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece.
First Department of Internal Medicine, Propaedeutic Clinic, "Laiko" Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece.
J Pers Med. 2023 Nov 30;13(12):1675. doi: 10.3390/jpm13121675.
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a worldwide medical issue with significant morbidity and mortality, as it is the main cause of chronic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Both innate and adaptive immune responses play a key role in HBV replication and suppression. Recently, the pathophysiological function of interleukins (IL) in the natural course of HBV has gained much attention as a result of the broad use of anti-interleukin agents for a variety of autoimmune diseases and the accompanying risk of HBV reactivation. We present a narrative review regarding the role of IL in HBV infection. Collectively, the pro-inflammatory ILs, namely IL-1, IL-5, IL-6, IL-12 and IL-21, seem to play a critical role in the suppression of HBV replication. In contrast, the anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-10, IL-23 and IL-35 probably act as HBV replication enhancers, while IL-17 has been correlated with HBV-related liver injury. Interestingly enough, IL-2, IL-4 and IL-12 have been tried as therapeutic options against HBV infection with contradictory results. Lastly, the role of IL-22 remains largely ill defined, although preliminary data suggest that it may play a significant role in HBV replication, proliferation and subsequent liver damage.
J Pers Med. 2023-11-30
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