Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is one of the leading causes of acute and chronic hepatitis and represents a serious public health threat. Cytokines are important chemical mediators that regulate the differentiation, proliferation, and function of immune cells, with accumulating evidence indicating that the inadequate immune responses are responsible for the elimination or persistence of HBV. This study aimed to determine the cytokine profiles (IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, and IL-17A) during HBV infection and investigate their association with genotypes. A total of 66 plasma samples, 19 from patients with acute and 47 with chronic hepatitis B infection, were subjected to biochemical tests, nested-PCR, and real-time PCR, with cytokines evaluated using a commercial BD Cytometric Bead Array Human Th1/Th2/Th17 Cytokine Kit. Healthy controls (10 individuals) were selected from blood donors with no history of liver diseases. No correlation was found between genotypes, viral load, and cytokines analyzed. All cytokines showed higher levels of production among infected individuals when compared with the control group. A positive correlation classified as moderate to strong was found between cytokines IFN-γ, TNF, IL-10, IL-6, IL-4, and IL-2 through the Spearman correlation coefficient. TNF (P = 0.009), IL-10 (P < 0.001), and IL-6 (P < 0.001) levels were higher in acute individuals compared with chronic and control groups. Theses cytokines could be involved in the elimination of virus and protection against chronicity.

中文翻译：

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急性和慢性乙型肝炎感染患者的细胞因子谱

乙型肝炎病毒（HBV）是急性和慢性肝炎的主要原因之一，是严重的公共卫生威胁。细胞因子是调节免疫细胞分化、增殖和功能的重要化学介质，越来越多的证据表明，免疫反应不足是 HBV 消除或持续存在的原因。本研究旨在确定 HBV 感染期间的细胞因子谱（IFN-γ、TNF-α、IL-2、IL-4、IL-6、IL-10 和 IL-17A），并研究它们与基因型的关联。对总共 66 份血浆样本（其中 19 份来自急性乙型肝炎感染患者和 47 名慢性乙型肝炎感染患者）进行了生化测试、巢式 PCR 和实时 PCR，并使用商业 BD 细胞计数珠阵列人 Th1/Th2 评估细胞因子/Th17 细胞因子试剂盒。健康对照（10 人）选自无肝病史的献血者。在基因型、病毒载量和分析的细胞因子之间未发现相关性。与对照组相比，所有细胞因子在受感染个体中的产生水平更高。通过 Spearman 相关系数发现细胞因子 IFN-γ、TNF、IL-10、IL-6、IL-4 和 IL-2 之间存在中度至强的正相关。肿瘤坏死因子（和 IL-2 通过 Spearman 相关系数。肿瘤坏死因子（和 IL-2 通过 Spearman 相关系数。肿瘤坏死因子（ 与慢性和对照组相比，急性个体的P  = 0.009)、IL-10 ( P  < 0.001) 和 IL-6 ( P < 0.001) 水平更高。这些细胞因子可能参与消除病毒和预防慢性病。