ArticleBMC infectious diseases2026
Association of PD-1
Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
backgroundPrevious studies by our group and others have demonstrated that pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN) therapy results in a relatively high rate of clinical cure in inactive hepatitis B surface antigen carriers (IHCs). Emerging evidence suggests that B lymphocytes play a pivotal role in HBsAg clearance. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of PEG-IFN in IHCs, investigate dynamic changes in global (non-HBV-specific) B-cell subset frequencies and their association with HBsAg clearance, and characterize the immunological profiles of B cells in CHB patients who achieved a functional cure.
methodsA total of 458 inactive IHCs who were enrolled at Beijing You’an Hospital, Capital Medical University, between January 2008 and February 2023 were included in this study. All participants received once-weekly subcutaneous injections of PEG-IFNα-2b, and clinical outcomes were retrospectively analyzed in the entire cohort. B-cell phenotyping was performed in a subset of 36 patients (21 with HBsAg clearance and 15 without) to assess the frequencies of PD-1⁺ and IgG⁺ B-cell subsets, including total B cells, plasmablasts, naïve B cells, immature B cells, and memory B cells. These assessments were conducted at baseline and at weeks 12 and 24 of treatment.
resultsClinical cure rates were 15.98% at week 24 and 28.27% at week 48 of PEG-IFN therapy. At week 24, the frequency of PD-1⁺ total B cells was significantly lower in the C group than in the NC group (0.63% vs. 1.61%, P = 0.037). The proportion of IgG⁺ plasmablasts was significantly higher in the C group compared to the NC group (10% vs. 5.5%, P = 0.016).
conclusionIHCs who achieved HBsAg clearance under PEG-IFN therapy had lower PD-1⁺ total B-cell frequencies and relatively higher proportions of IgG⁺ plasmablasts than those without clearance. These findings show limited observational differences in PD-1⁺ B-cell and IgG⁺ plasmablast frequencies between groups, which may be associated with clinical cure, but the biological implications remain uncertain and warrant confirmation in larger mechanistic studies.
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