Serum levels of IL-12, IL-18, and IL-21 are indicators of viral load in patients chronically infected with HBV

This study explored the correlation between interleukins (IL)-12, IL-18, and IL-21 and the viral load in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV). A total of 142 patients were consecutively enrolled. All were hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive for >6 months and did not receive drug therapy. An ELISA kit was used to test the IL-12, IL-18, IL-21, and acetylcholinesterase (AchE) levels in serum samples from chronic HBV patients and healthy control groups. The amounts of IL-12 and IL-18 were highest in the 5-6log10 (high viral load) group, while IL-21 was highest in the 3-4log10 (low viral load) group. Also, the IL-21 amount was decreased in the HBsAg+/HBeAg/HBcAb+ group, and IL-12, IL-18, and IL-21 were decreased in the normal alanine aminotransferase (ALT) group compared to the abnormal ALT group. These data suggested that IL-12, IL-18, and IL-21 serum levels were positively correlated with disease progression and could reflect disease severity for different HBV-DNA loads. Detection of IL-12, IL-18, and IL-21 levels was found to be helpful for evaluating the degree of liver cell damage and predicting the progression of hepatitis.