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Review
. 2021 Sep 7:12:733364.
doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.733364. eCollection 2021.

Interferon and Hepatitis B: Current and Future Perspectives

Jianyu Ye  1 , Jieliang Chen  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Interferon and Hepatitis B: Current and Future Perspectives

Jianyu Ye et al. Front Immunol. .

Abstract

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a major health burden worldwide for which there is still no effective curative treatment. Interferon (IFN) consists of a group of cytokines with antiviral activity and immunoregulatory and antitumor effects, that play crucial roles in both innate and adaptive immune responses. IFN-α and its pegylated form have been used for over thirty years to treat chronic hepatitis B (CHB) with advantages of finite treatment duration and sustained virologic response, however, the efficacy is limited and side effects are common. Here, we summarize the status and unique advantages of IFN therapy against CHB, review the mechanisms of IFN-α action and factors affecting IFN response, and discuss the possible improvement of IFN-based therapy and the rationale of combinations with other antiviral agents in seeking an HBV cure.

Keywords: HBV; IFN; antiviral therapy; biomarker; cccDNA; chronic hepatitis B; immunotherapy; innate immunity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Predictors and strategies for improvement of the efficacy of IFN-based therapy for chronic hepatitis B.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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