T cell–associated immunoregulation and antiviral effect of oxymatrine in hydrodynamic injection HBV mouse model

Although oxymatrine（OMT） has been shown to directly inhibit the replication of hepatitis B virus（HBV） in vitro, limited research has been done with this drug in vivo. In the present study, the antiviral effect of OMT was investigated in an immunocompetent mouse model of chronic HBV infection.The infection was achieved by tail vein injection of a large volume of DNA solution. OMT（2.2, 6.7 and20 mg/kg） was administered by daily intraperitoneal injection for 6 weeks. The efficacy of OMT was evaluated by the levels of HBV DNA, hepatitis B surface antigen（HBs Ag）, hepatitis B e antigen（HBe Ag）and hepatitis B core antigen（HBc Ag）. The immunoregulatory activity of OMT was evaluated by serum ELISA and flow cytometry. Results shows that OMT at 20 mg/kg inhibited HBV replication, and it was more efficient than entecavir（ETV） in the elimination of serum HBs Ag and intrahepatic HBc Ag. Inaddition, OMT accelerated the production of interferon-γ（IFN-γ） in a dose-dependent manner in CD4+T cells. Our findings demonstrate the beneficial effects of OMT on the enhancement of immunological function and in the control of HBV antigens. The findings suggest this drug to be a good antiviral therapeutic candidate for the treatment of HBV infection.