Phenotypic diversity of B cells in patients with chronic hepatitis C and its association with virus genotype (before and after therapy with direct-acting antivirals)

Objective. To analyze the phenotype of B-lymphocytes in patients with chronic infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) before and after treatment with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) depending on the virus genotype. Patients and methods. This open-label clinical and immunological study included 111 HCV patients with a mean age of 43.4 ± 8.6 years who received DAAs: Sofosbuvir (400 mg) and Velpatasvir (100 mg) once a day for 12 weeks. We assessed the phenotypic diversity of B-lymphocytes in peripheral blood of HCV patients during therapy and after its completion depending on the virus genotype. Results. Prior to DAA initiation, HCV patients demonstrated elevated count of CD19+CD5+CD27+ B cells and CD23+ B cells along with a decreased count of CD19+CD5–CD27+ B cells compared to controls. After therapy with DAAs, HCV patients continued to have increased proportion of CD19+CD5+CD27+ cells and reduced proportion of CD19+CD5–CD27+ cells. Conclusion. The pretreatment phenotypic diversity of peripheral B cells in HCV patents did not depend on the HCV genotype and was characterized by increased levels of B1 memory cells and activated B cells of the main subpopulations, along with a decreased level of B2 memory cells. The changes in the count of different B-cell subpopulations after DAA therapy depend on HCV genotype and might be associated with the rate of virus elimination. Key words: B-lymphocytes, immune system, direct-acting antivirals, chronic hepatitis C