Telbivudine improves the function of myeloid dendritic cells in patients with chronic hepatitis B.

Dysfunction of dendritic cells (DCs) is considered one of the factors for chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. However the reason for impairment of DCs remains elusive. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of telbivudine on number and function of DCs in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). After 6 months of telbivudine treatment, the number of plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) increased significantly, nearly to levels observed in normal controls. However the capacity of pDCs to produce interferon α (IFN-α) was not enhanced during treatment. Accordingly, monocyte-derived DCs (MoDCs) exhibited a markedly enhanced expression of HLA-DR, decreased expression of PD-L1, and increased capacity to produce interleukin (IL)-12. These findings suggest that the improved function of peripheral myeloid DCs (mDCs) with telbivudine therapy in CHB patients may be associated with up-regulated expression of HLA-DR and down-regulated expression of PD-L1.