Alterations in peripheral blood NK cell subsets and function in patients with HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B during pregnancy.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The majority of patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) are in the immune-tolerant phase during pregnancy, exhibiting relatively stable liver disease. However, some hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive pregnant women may develop liver dysfunction, a condition with an unclear pathogenesis.

Methods

In this study, we analyzed the phenotype and function of natural killer (NK) cell subsets using flow cytometry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in HBeAg-positive pregnant women, HBeAg-negative pregnant women, and healthy pregnant controls.

Results

We found that HBeAg-positive pregnant women exhibited a decreased proportion of peripheral blood CD56bright NK cells, which correlated negatively with HBV DNA loads and alanine transaminase (ALT) levels, whereas an

SUBMITTER: Shen X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12535973 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature