{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,25]],"date-time":"2026-10-25T05:01:13Z","timestamp":1792904473450,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":19,"publisher":"Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.","issue":"3","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["World J Gastroenterol"],"abstract":"BACKGROUND<\/jats:p>\n C-X-C chemokine receptor type 5 (CXCR5)+CD8+ T cells represent a unique immune subset with dual roles, functioning as cytotoxic cells in persistent viral infections while promoting B cell responses. Despite their importance, the specific role of CXCR5+CD8+ T cells in chronic hepatitis B (CHB), particularly during interferon-alpha (IFN-\u03b1) treatment, is not fully understood. This study aims to elucidate the relationship between CXCR5+CD8+ T cells and sustained serologic response (SR) in patients undergoing 48 weeks of pegylated IFN-\u03b1 (peg-IFN-\u03b1) treatment for CHB.<\/jats:p>\n AIM<\/jats:p>\n To elucidate the relationship between CXCR5+CD8+ T cells and sustained SR in patients undergoing 48 weeks of peg-IFN-\u03b1 treatment for CHB.<\/jats:p>\n METHODS<\/jats:p>\n This study enrolled 60 patients with hepatitis Be antigen (HBeAg)-positive CHB undergoing 48 weeks of peg-IFN-\u03b1 treatment. Participants were assessed for eligibility based on criteria such as persistent HBsAg-positive status for at least six months, HBeAb-negative, hepatitis B virus DNA levels exceeding 2 \u00d7 104 copies\/mL, and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels between 2 and 10 times the upper limit of normal. Blood samples were collected at baseline and at weeks 12, 24, 48, and a 24-week treatment-free follow-up (week 72) to measure serum interleukin (IL)-21 concentration via ELISA and to analyze CXCR5 and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression on CD8+ T cells by flow cytometry, CXCR5 is a chemokine receptor that directs immune cells to specific tissues, while PD-L1 is a protein that regulates immune responses by inhibiting T cell activity.<\/jats:p>\n RESULTS<\/jats:p>\n Patients with CHB exhibited significantly lower levels of circulating CXCR5+CD8+ T cells compared to healthy controls (P < 0.01). Notably, CXCR5+CD8+ T cells were prominently expressed in patients who achieved sustained SR compared to non-SR (NSR). A significant correlation was observed between CXCR5 and PD-L1 expression (r = -0.189, P = 0.002). However, there was no significant correlation between serum IL-21 levels and CXCR5+CD8+ lymphocytes (r = -0.03, P = 0.625) or serum ALT levels (r = 0.026, P = 0.678).<\/jats:p>\n CONCLUSION<\/jats:p>\n The enhanced expression of CXCR5+CD8+ T cells in patients achieving HBeAg seroconversion during IFN-\u03b1 treatment suggests that these cells play a crucial role in antiviral immune responses against hepatitis B. This study highlights the potential of CXCR5+CD8+ T cells as immune regulators in CHB, which may inform future therapeutic strategies to optimize antiviral treatments.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3748\/wjg.v31.i3.99833","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,17]],"date-time":"2024-12-17T08:18:05Z","timestamp":1734423485000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["C-X-C chemokine receptor type 5+<\/sup>CD8+<\/sup> T cells as immune regulators in hepatitis Be antigen-positive chronic hepatitis B under interferon-alpha treatment"],"prefix":"10.3748","volume":"31","author":[{"given":"Zhen-Yu","family":"Xu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zhong-Shang","family":"Dai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Guo-Zhong","family":"Gong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Min","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"2060","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/advs.202103135"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jare.2021.05.010"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41423-020-00601-8"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jhep.2019.09.031"},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41375-019-0464-2"},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/jmv.29661"},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S2468-1253(20)30307-1"},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/nature19317"},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ebiom.2021.103794"},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1126\/sciimmunol.abe8931"},{"key":"B11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.virs.2022.03.001"},{"key":"B12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/jvh.13840"},{"key":"B13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/hep.32210"},{"key":"B14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s12010-017-2669-z"},{"key":"B15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/MD.0000000000010891"},{"key":"B16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.celrep.2019.10.092"},{"key":"B17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1182\/bloodadvances.2018017244"},{"key":"B18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.1621418114"},{"key":"B19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fimmu.2017.01786"}],"container-title":["World Journal of Gastroenterology"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.wjgnet.com\/1007-9327\/full\/v31\/i3\/99833.htm","content-type":"text\/html","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/www.wjgnet.com\/1007-9327\/full\/v31\/i3\/99833.htm","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,17]],"date-time":"2024-12-17T08:19:20Z","timestamp":1734423560000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.wjgnet.com\/1007-9327\/full\/v31\/i3\/99833.htm"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,21]]},"references-count":19,"journal-issue":{"issue":"3"},"alternative-id":["99833"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3748\/wjg.v31.i3.99833","relation":{},"ISSN":["1007-9327"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1007-9327","type":"print"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,21]]}}}