The impact of hepatitis B surface antigen on natural killer cells in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection.

Abstract

Compared to the healthy controls, a reshaping of NK cell pool towards more CD56bright NK cells was observed during CHB infection. Importantly, NK cells in patients with low HBsAg levels (<100 IU/mL) displayed an activated phenotype with increased expression of activation makers CD38, granzyme B and proliferation marker Ki-67 while presenting with defective functional responses (MIP-1β, CD107a) at the same time. Furthermore, NK cell activation was negatively correlated with patient HBsAg levels while NK function correlated with patient age.