Elevated production of IL-36α in chronic hepatitis B virus-infected patients correlates with viral load

Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection is a typical inflammatory disease characterized by a dysregulated expression of cytokines, which contributes to the pathogenesis of chronic Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. IL-36 cytokines (IL-36 alpha, IL-36 beta, IL-36 gamma and IL-36Ra) are important players in infection and immunity. However, their roles in the pathogenesis of chronic HBV infection remain unknown. Here the circulating concentrations of IL-36 cytokines from 50 CHB patients and 30 healthy controls were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Sera concentrations of IL-36 alpha were found to be significantly elevated in CHB patients, while the concentrations of IL-36 beta, IL-36 gamma and IL-36Ra were not significantly different in comparison to healthy donors. Furthermore, increased IL-36 alpha concentrations correlated positively with HBV-DNA levels in CHB patients. Our study suggests that IL-36 alpha production was up-regulated during CHB infection, which could be directly related to HBV-DNA loads in CHB patients. The immunoregulatory role of IL-36 alpha in the pathogenesis of chronic HBV infection should be further studied.