Profiles of serum soluble programmed death‐1 and programmed death‐ligand 1 levels in chronic hepatitis B virus‐infected patients with different disease phases and after anti‐viral treatment

Summary Background Soluble programmed death‐1 (sPD‐1) and soluble programmed death‐ligand 1 (sPD‐L1) play a role in immune regulation of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Aim To investigate the profiles of serum sPD‐1 and sPD‐L1 in chronic HBV‐infected patients with different disease phases and after anti‐viral treatment. Methods A total of 99 chronic HBV‐infected patients were enrolled and divided into HBeAg‐positive chronic HBV infection (EPI) group, HBeAg‐positive chronic hepatitis B (EPH) group, HBeAg‐negative chronic hepatitis B (ENH) group and HBeAg‐negative chronic HBV infection (ENI) group. Eleven healthy subjects were included as healthy controls (HCs). Thirty‐two EPH patients received anti‐viral treatment with nucleos(t)ide analogues and were followed up to 5 years. Serum sPD‐1 and sPD‐L1 levels were detected by Multiplex Immunoassays. Results Serum sPD‐1 and sPD‐L1 levels of chronic HBV infected patients were significantly higher than that of HCs ( P < 0.01). Patients in EPH, ENH and EPI groups had higher serum sPD‐1 and sPD‐L1 levels than that in HCs ( P < 0.01). After anti‐viral treatment, serum sPD‐1 and sPD‐L1 levels declined rapidly. EPH patients with HBeAg clearance after 2 years of anti‐viral treatment showed lower baseline HBeAg and sPD‐1 levels compared to those without HBeAg clearance. Conclusions Serum sPD‐1 and sPD‐L1 levels varied among chronic HBV infected patients with different disease phases. Lower baseline sPD‐1 levels were associated with HBeAg clearance after 2 years of anti‐viral treatment in EPH patients.