The relationship between the clearance of HBsAg and the remodeling of B cell subsets in CHB patients treated with Peg-IFN-α

BACKGROUND: The seroconversion of the hepatitis B antigen is the ideal outcome for long-acting interferon-pegylated interferon-α (Peg-IFN-α) treatment among patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). B-cell response plays an important role in the process of hepatitis B antigen clearance, but the specific mechanism by which B-cell improve hepatitis B virus (HBV) is still unclear. METHODS: A total of 103 CHB patients participated in this study. The patients received 24 weeks of Peg-IFN-α treatment. Flow cytometry was used to detect B-cell surface markers’ cluster of differentiation cluster of differentiation CD19, CD24, and CD27 in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of CHB patients before and after 24 weeks of Peg-IFN-α treatment. RESULTS: After 24 weeks of Peg-IFN-α treatment, the content of memory B cells (CD19(+)CD27(+)) and effector B cells (CD19(+)CD38(+)) increased significantly. Further analysis showed that the clearance of the hepatitis B antigen was correlated with the change value, ΔT, of plasma cells before and after treatment. The B-cell subsets (CD19(+)CD24(+); CD19(+)CD40(+); CD19(+)CD40(+); CD19(+)CD80(+)), was also tested and the results showed that CD19(+)CD24(+) and CD19(+)CD80(+) content also increased significantly after treatment. CONCLUSIONS: After Peg-IFN-α treatment, the B-cell subsets of CHB patients are remodeled. Thus, Peg-IFN-α treatment appears to play an important role in the remodeling of B cell subsets and the clearance of HBV antigens. The results of this study provide a theoretical basis and guidance for the clinical treatment of CHB.