The Functional Difference of Dendritic Cells in HBeAg Negative Chronic Hepatitis B Patients with Three Different Spleen Deficiency Syndromes and the Therapeutic Evaluation of Chinese Medicine Intervention Based on Syndrome Differentiation.

Objective. To investigate the dendritic cells (DCs) maturity differences of HBeAg negative chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with different spleen deficiency (SD) syndromes and explore the role of syndrome differentiation in the therapeutic evaluation of Chinese medicine. Methods. 120 participants were recruited including three treatment groups in different SD syndrome categories as spleen deficiency with liver depression (SDLD), spleen deficiency with damp heat (SDDH), and spleen deficiency with kidney deficiency (SDKD) and one healthy control group; each group had 30 participants. Corresponding drugs were applied. The outcome measures included DC phenotype, liver function, IL-10, IL-12, and HBV-DNA levels. Results. The surface markers of mature DCs and cytokines levels were different in each group; the positive rate of CD80, CD1a, HLA-DR, and CD1a was the lowest in SDKD group. After 3-month intervention, the expression of CD80, CD86, CD1a, HLA-DR, and IL-12 significantly increased, while ALT, AST, and IL-10 significantly decreased (P < 0.05) in treatment groups. HBV-DNA level also significantly reduced in both SDKD and SDLD groups (P < 0.05). Conclusions. HBeAg negative patients had DCs dysmaturity, and there were differences between different SD syndromes. Chinese medicine intervention according to syndrome differentiation could advance the maturity and function of DCs and improve the therapeutic effect.