Comparison of HBV-specific T cell reactivity among pregnant, postpartum and non-pregnant women at childbearing age with chronic HBV infection
10.3760/cma.j.cn112309-20230830-00058
- VernacularTitle:妊娠期、产后和育龄未孕期慢性HBV感染者间HBV特异性T细胞反应活性比较
- Author:
Genju WANG
1
;
Yandan WU
;
Ruixue JI
;
Fangping YUE
;
Hongxiu JIANG
Author Information
1. 南京市第二医院妇产科，南京 210003
- Keywords:
Chronic hepatitis B virus infection;
Pregnancy;
Antigen-specific T cell detection
- From:
Chinese Journal of Microbiology and Immunology
2024;44(9):784-791
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:To investigate the characteristics of HBV-specific T cell reactivity among pregnant, postpartum and non-pregnant women at childbearing age with chronic HBV infection.Methods:A total of 100 patients with chronic HBV infection were enrolled in this study, including 43 pregnant women (pregnant group), 26 patients giving birth within six months (postpartum group), and 31 non-pregnant patients at childbearing age (non-pregnant group). The functional HBV-specific T cells in peripheral blood were detected by ELISPOT. Clinical data as well as the results of virological and serological tests of HBV were collected for stratified analysis.Results:There was no significant difference in the number of functional HBV-specific T cells between the pregnant group and the postpartum group, but the number was significantly lesser in the pregnant group than in the non-pregnant group ( P<0.05). Furthermore, the number of functional HBV-specific T cells was significantly higher in the nucleoside analogues (NUCs)-treated pregnant women than in the NUCs-untreated pregnant women ( P<0.05). Among the patients without NUCs treatment, there were no significant differences in the numbers of hepatitis B envelope antigen/hepatitis B core antigen (HBeAg/HBcAg)-specific T cells between the pregnant group and the postpartum group, but the numbers were lower in the pregnant group than in the non-pregnant group ( P<0.05). Among the NUCs-treated patients, there was no significant difference in the number of functional HBV-specific T cells between the pregnant group and the non-pregnant group, and the numbers in the two groups were significantly higher than that in the postpartum group (both P<0.05). Additionally, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve indicated that the number of functional HBV-specific T cells in combination with HBV DNA load [area under the curve (AUC)=0.807] or hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) levels (AUC=0.916) had a good predictive performance for hepatitis progression during pregnancy. Conclusions:Pregnancy can reduce HBV-specific T cell reactivity in women with chronic HBV infection, but NUCs treatment may improve the function of specific T cells. Routine monitoring of HBV-specific T cells during pregnancy and postpartum period can provide valuable guidance for the evaluation of immune function and treatments.
