Circulating cytokines and chemokines play critical roles in hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Here, we explored the effects of proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory effector molecules on HBV progression, e antigen seroconversion, and liver function. Our results showed that circulating interleukin (IL)-17 may be helpful in HBV spontaneous clearance [odds ratio OR=1.468, 95%confidence interval CI=1.080–1.995, P=0.014] and protective against HBV-related hepatoma development (OR=0.933, 95%CI=0.910–0.957, P