Proleferative response of peripheral blood lymphocytes to recombinant hepatitis B core antigen in patients with hepatitis B

Abstract

The proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in response to recombinant hepatitis B core antigen (rHBcAg) was studied in patients with HBV infection. Significant proliferative responses of PBMC to rHBcAg were detected in patients with acute hepatitis B (AH-B), and HBeAg positive chronic active hepatitis B (CAH-B). There were no significant proliferative responses in other stages of HBV infection and control groups. A statistical correlation has been noticed between proliferation of PBMC and transamynase level in CAH-B. Proliferative responses decreased in convalascence stage of AH-B. As for proliferations of T-lymphocyte subsets, CD4⁺ cells responded to rHBcAg proliferatively but not GD8⁺ cells in AH-B and CH-B. rHBcAg-preactivated CD8⁺ cells inhibited the proliferation of CD4⁺ cells to rHBcAg. These results suggest that HBcAg specific lymphocytes may contribute to liver cell damage in HBV infection.