Abstract:

Objective　To investigate the cytokine levels of T helper cell 1/2 (Th1/Th2) detected by cytometric bead array (CBA) in patients with acute-on-chronic hepatitis B liver failure (ACHBLF),and their change significance in ACHBLF. Methods　The Th1/Th2 cytokine levels in 33 patients with ACHBLF and 20 patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) were detected by CBA. A total of 15 healthy subjects were enrolled as controls. The serum interferon gamma (IFN),interleukin 2 (IL-2),interleukin 4 (IL-4),interleukin 6 (IL-6),interleukin 10 (IL-10) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) levels were detected,and the changes of Th1/Th2 cytokine levels were analyzed. Results　The serum TNF-α,IFN-γ,IL-4 and IL-6 levels of ACHBLF group were significantly higher than those of CHB and control groups (P<0.05).The serum IL-2 and IL-10 had no statistical significance between ACHBLF and CHB groups and between ACHBLF and control groups (P>0.05) . There was no significant correlation of IL-4,IL-6,TNF-α in ACHBLF group with total bilirubin (TBil),albumin (Alb) and prothrombin activity (PTA). Conclusions　CBA can determine a variety of cytokines simultaneously and is suitable for the clinical application. The changes of TNF-α,IFN-γ,IL-4 and IL-6 will involve to the pathogenesis and development of ACHBLF. There is not found the relationship between cytokines and liver function.

Key words: Cytokine, T helper cell 1/2, Cytometric bead array, Hepatitis B, Severe hepatitis