Impaired interleukin-2 receptor expression on lymphocytes from patients with chronic active hepatitis type B.

To evaluate cell mediated immunopathogenic mechanisms in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, we investigated the changes of T4/T8 ratios from the peripheral blood, the percentages of IL-2 receptor expression after stimulation of mitogens (Con A, PHA) and a specific antigen (Hepatitis type B surface antigen, HBs), and the proliferative response mediated by IL-2 receptors after rIL-2 stimulation on mixed mononuclear cell. These experiments were performed comparatively in 5 groups which consisted of serologically negative normal subjects, chronic HBV carriers, patients with chronic active hepatitis (CAH) type B, patients with acute hepatitis (AH) type B, and the antibody positive healthy subjects. There were significant decreases of T4/T8 ratios in chronic HBV carriers, in patients with CAH type B, and in patients with AH type B, compared with negative normal controls. There were no significant differences between patients with CAH type B and the HBs negative normal controls in the percentage of IL-2 receptor positive cells after in-vitro HBs-stimulation and the proliferative response assessed by the incorporation of 3H-thymidine, whereas in patients with AH type B there were significant increases in both. Thus, in addition to a relatively decreased T4/T8 ratio, the impairment of IL-2 receptor expression on the lymphocytes after HBs-stimulation caused a defective response of cellular proliferation, and this might be one of the leading immunopathogenic roles in chronic HBV infection.