ArticlePloS one2016
Pegylated Interferon α-2a Triggers NK-Cell Functionality and Specific T-Cell Responses in Patients with Chronic HBV Infection without HBsAg Seroconversion.
Article in PloS one, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 30 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy of NAs in combination with Peg-IFN for functional cure in patients with CHB: a meta-analysis of RCTs.Annals of medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Trial
- The Characteristics of Natural Killer Cells in Chronic Hepatitis B Patients Who Received PEGylated-Interferon versus Entecavir Therapy.BioMed research international · 2021Trial
- Combination of pegylated interferon-alpha and nucleos(t)ide analogue treatment enhances the activity of natural killer cells in nucleos(t)ide analogue experienced chronic hepatitis B patients.Clinical and experimental immunology · 2020Trial
- NKp30Scientific reports · 2016Trial
- Functional cure for chronic hepatitis B on hepatocellular carcinoma prevention: Evidence and clinical implications.iLIVER · 2026Review
- Association of week-12 HBsAg Decline with HBsAg Clearance in Patients with Hepatitis B-Related Cirrhosis Receiving Pegylated Interferon Combined with Nucleos(T)ide Analogue Therapy: A Retrospective Cohort Study.International journal of general medicine · 2026Article
- Interferon therapy for chronic hepatitis B in children: an immunological perspective.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Review
- Pegylated Interferon-α-Induced Functional Cure for Special Populations with Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection: Current Trends, Challenges and Prospection.Drug design, development and therapy · 2025Review
- [Study of the predictive role of serum HBV RNA on HBeAg serological conversion in children with chronic hepatitis B].Zhonghua gan zang bing za zhi = Zhonghua ganzangbing zazhi = Chinese journal of hepatology · 2023Article
- Predictive value of Th17 and Treg cells at baseline for HBsAg loss in chronic hepatitis B patients with low HBsAg quantification treated with pegylated interferon and nucleos(t)ide analogue.Liver research (Beijing, China) · 2023Article
- Review
- The pivotal role of cytotoxic NK cells in mediating the therapeutic effect of anti-CD47 therapy in mycosis fungoides.Cancer immunology, immunotherapy : CII · 2022Article
- Functional molecular expression of nature killer cells correlated to HBsAg clearance in HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B patients during PEG-IFN α-2a therapy.Frontiers in immunology · 2022Article
- Expression of Functional Molecule on Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells Is Associated With HBsAg Loss in HBeAg-Positive Patients During PEG-IFN α-2a Treatment.Frontiers in immunology · 2022Article
- Engineered Cytokines for Cancer and Autoimmune Disease Immunotherapy.Advanced healthcare materials · 2021Review
- Identifying potential biomarkers in hepatitis B virus infection and its response to the antiviral therapy by integrated bioinformatic analysis.Journal of cellular and molecular medicine · 2021Article
- Cytokines and Chemokines in HBV Infection.Frontiers in molecular biosciences · 2021Review
- The Good and the Bad of Natural Killer Cells in Virus Control: Perspective for Anti-HBV Therapy.International journal of molecular sciences · 2019Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
12 authors at 8 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Pegylated interferon α-2a (Peg-IFN-α) represents a therapeutic alternative to the prolonged use of nucleos(t)ide analog (NA) in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection. The mechanisms leading to a positive clinical outcome remain unclear. As immune responses are critical for virus control, we investigated the effects of Peg-IFN-α on both innate and adaptive immunity, and related it to the clinical evolution. The phenotypic and functional features of the dendritic cells (DCs), natural killer (NK) cells and HBV-specific CD4/CD8 T cells were analyzed in HBeAg-negative CHB patients treated for 48-weeks with NA alone or together with Peg-IFN-α, before, during and up to 2-years after therapy. Peg-IFN-α induced an early activation of DCs, a potent expansion of the CD56bright NK subset, and enhanced the activation and functionality of the CD56dim NK subset. Peg-IFN-α triggered an increase in the frequencies of Th1- and Th17-oriented HBV-specific CD4/CD8 T cells. Peg-IFN-α reversed the unresponsiveness of patients to a specific stimulation. Most of the parameters returned to baseline after the stop of Peg-IFN-α therapy. Peg-IFN-α impacts both innate and adaptive immunity, overcoming dysfunctional immune responses in CHB patients. These modulations were not associated with seroconversion, which questioned the benefit of the add-on Peg-IFN-α treatment.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.