CD8CD28 T cells: key cytotoxic players impacting disease pathogenesis in chronic HBV infection.

During chronic hepatitis B (CHB), CD8 T cells down-regulate CD28, the primary co-stimulation molecule for T-cell activation. Diverse functional attributes of CD8CD28 T cells are suggested in various disease contexts. The present study aimed to characterize CD8CD28 T cells in different phases of chronic Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection (CHI)- Immune-tolerance (IT), Hepatitis B e-antigen-positive CHB (EP-CHB), Inactive carriers (IC) and Hepatitis B e-antigen-negative CHB (EN-CHB), to appraise their contribution in HBV-related disease pathophysiology.

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells induce regulatory T cells in chronically HBV infected patients with high levels of hepatitis B surface antigen and persist after antiviral therapy.

Background: CD4 regulatory T-cells (Tregs) expand during chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and inhibit antiviral immunity, although the underlying mechanism remains largely elusive. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) have been linked with T-cell dysfunction but questions remain regarding their persistence/profile/function in chronically HBV infected patients.

Aim: To characterise MDSC in different phases of chronic HBV infection namely, immune-tolerant (IT), hepatitis B e-antigen-positive chronic hepatitis B (EP-CHB), inactive carriers (IC) and hepatitis B e-antigen-negative chronic hepatitis B (EN-CHB), to investigate their role in Treg induction and evaluate the effect of anti-viral therapy on these cells.