Peripheral blood lymphocyte dynamics and viral kinetics in patients with chronic active hepatitis B virus infection treated by tenofovir.

Background/aims: We investigated serum viral kinetics and peripheral blood lymphocyte dynamics in chronic hepatitis B patients during the first year of tenofovir therapy.

Methodology: Fifteen patients, naive to any kind of previous antiviral therapy, were included in this study. The patients received tenofovir daily 245mg for 48 weeks. Fifteen age and gender compatible healthy subjects were enrolled as the control group. Clinical, biochemical, immunological and virological parameters were assessed at baseline, then at the first, third, sixth and twelfth months.

Results: CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ nTregs percentages were significantly higher in the study group than that of healthy controls, CD4+CD28+ and CD4+CD38+ T cell percentages were significantly lower in the study group than those of control group (p<0.001). Twelve cases had undetectable HBV DNA levels after the one year therapy. We determined that there was an increase of the CD28+co-stimulator molecule on both the CD4+ and CD8+ T cells while a decrease of the CD8+CD38+ T cells, CD4+CD38+ T cells and CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ nTregs, in patients with tenofovir treatment, but only CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ nTregs were statistically significant.

Conclusions: We found that both viral load and CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ nTreg percentages decreased significantly in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection during 1 year course of tenofovir treatment.