Abstract: Objective To explore the role of the expression of TRAIL receptors on peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) in the apoptosis of PBMC , and the relativity of the expression of TRAIL receptors with the severity of liver damage in chronic Hepatitis B patients. Methods The expressions of DR4、DR5、DcR1 and DcR2 in 55 cases of chronic hepatitis B patients and 30 cases of normal people were assayed by RT-RCR and Flowcytometery. The relativity of the expression of TRAIL receptors and the severity of liver damage were analized. Results The level of DcR1 in the PBMC of chronic B hepatitis patients was much lower than that of control group (p<0.05). There was close relation between the expression of DcR1 and liver damage (p<0.05). The level of DcR1 was negatively correlated with ALT, and positively correlated with serum albumin. Conclusion The expression level of DcR1 on PBMC in chronic hepatitis B patients was down-regulated, which might contribute to the increased apoptosis of PBMC in chronic B hepatitis patients. The expression of DcR1 can reflect the degree of liver injury in chronic hepatitis B patients to some degree.

Key words: Tumor necrosis factor related apoptosis inducing ligand, Receptor, Hepatitis B virus, Infection