摘要：Cyclophilin A (CypA), predominantly located intracellularly, is a multi-functional protein. We previously reported decreased CypA levels in hepatocytes of transgenic mice expressing hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface antigen (HBsAg). In this study, we found that expression of HBV small surface protein (SHBs) in human hepatoma cell lines specifically triggered CypA secretion, while SHBs added extracellularly to culture medium did not. Moreover, CypA secretion was not promoted by the expression of a secretion deficient SHBs mutant, suggesting a close association between secretion of CypA and SHBs. Interaction between CypA and SHBs was observed using co-immunoprecipitation and GST pull-down assays. Hydrodynamic injection of the SHBs expression construct into C57BL/6J mice resulted in increased serum CypA levels and ALT/AST levels as well as the infiltration of inflammatory cells surrounding SHBs-positive hepatocytes. The inflammatory response and serum ALT/AST level were reduced when the chemotactic effect of CypA was inhibited by cyclosporine A (CsA) and anti-CD147 antibody. Furthermore, higher serum CypA levels were detected in chronic hepatitis B patients than healthy individuals. In HBV patients who had received liver transplatation, serum CypA levels declined dramatically following the loss of HBsAg as a consequence of liver transplantation. Taken together, these results indicate that expression and secretion of SHBs can promote CypA secretion, which may contribute to the pathogenesis of HBV infection.