{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,13]],"date-time":"2026-10-13T17:28:24Z","timestamp":1791912504374,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,5,4]],"date-time":"2022-05-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1651622400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Immunol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title><jats:p>To explore dynamic changes of cytokines and virological markers associated with hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) loss during peginterferon alpha-2a (PEG-IFN \u03b1-2a) treatment in hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) positive chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>It was a single-center prospective cohort study. HBeAg-positive CHB patients were prospectively and consecutively enrolled. Cytokines were detected at baseline, week 12 and 24 of PEG-IFN treatment. HBsAg disappearance rate was the primary evaluation index at 48 weeks of PEG-IFN treatment.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>Among 100 patients who completed the 48-week PEG-IFN \u03b1-2a treatment, 38 patients achieved serum HBeAg disappearance, 25 patients achieved HBeAg seroconversion, 9 patients achieved functional cure, 37 patients had HBsAg decline of \u22651 log IU\/ml, and 8 patients produced hepatitis B surface antibody (HBsAb). Albumin (ALB), fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 ligand (FLT3-L) and interferon-alpha2 (IFN-\u03b12) in the clinical cure group were significantly lower than those in the non-clinical-cure group at baseline. After 12 weeks of treatment, HBsAg in the clinical cure group was significantly lower than that in the non-clinical-cure group (median 1.14 vs. 3.45 log10IU\/ml, Z=-4.355, <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic> &amp;lt; 0.001). The decrease of HBsAg and hepatitis B virus desoxyribose nucleic acid (HBV DNA) in the clinical cure group was significantly higher than that in non-clinical-cure group (median: HBsAg 1.96 vs. 0.33 log10IU\/ml, Z=-4.703, <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>&amp;lt; 0.001; HBV DNA 4.49 vs.3.13 log<jats:sub>10<\/jats:sub>IU\/ml, Z=-3.053, <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>=0.002). The increase of IFN-\u03b12 in the cure group was significantly higher than that in the non-clinical-cure group (497.89 vs. 344.74, Z=-2.126, <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>=0.034). After 24 weeks of treatment, HBsAg, HBeAg, Flt3-L, and IL-10 in the clinical cure group were significantly lower than those in the non-clinical-cure group (median: HBsAg 0.70 vs. 3.15 log<jats:sub>10<\/jats:sub>IU\/ml, Z=-4.535, P&amp;lt; 0.001; HBeAg 1.48 vs. 13.72 S\/CO, Z = 2.512, <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic> = 0.012; Flt3-l 0.00 vs 2.24 pg\/ml, Z = 3.137, <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>=0.002; IL-10 0.70 vs. 2.71 pg\/ml, Z=-4.067, <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic> &amp;lt; 0.001). HBsAg decreased significantly in the clinical cure group compared with non-clinical-cure group (median 3.27 vs. 0.45, Z=-4.463, <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic> &amp;lt; 0.001).<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>Dynamic changes of cytokines and virology markers during early PEG IFN \u03b1-2a treatment were associated with HBsAg loss in HBeAg-positive CHB patients.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fimmu.2022.892031","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,5,4]],"date-time":"2022-05-04T07:24:17Z","timestamp":1651649057000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":16,"title":["Dynamic Changes of Cytokine Profiles and Virological Markers Associated With HBsAg Loss During Peginterferon Alpha-2a Treatment in HBeAg-Positive Chronic Hepatitis B 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