Total Antioxidant Capacity in HBV Carriers, a Promising Biomarker for Evaluating Hepatic Fibrosis: A Pilot Study

Oxidative stress plays a pivotal role in the progression of chronic hepatitis B; however, it is unclear whether the status of blood oxidative stress and antioxidant components differs depending on the degree of hepatic fibrosis. To explore the relationship between oxidative stress/antioxidant capacity and the extent of hepatic fibrosis, fifty-four subjects with liver fibrosis (5.5 ≤ liver stiffness measurement (LSM) score ≤ 16.0 kPa) by chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) were analyzed. From the analysis of eight kinds of serum oxidative stress/antioxidant profiles and liver fibrosis degrees, the level of total antioxidant capacity (TAC) reflected a negative correlation with the severity of hepatic fibrosis (Pearson correlation, r = -0.35, p = 0.01). Moreover, TAC showed higher sensitivity (73.91%) than the aspartate transaminase (AST) to platelet ratio index (APRI, 56.52%) in the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Interestingly, the TAC level finely reflected the fibrosis degree in inactive carriers (HBV DNA < 2000 IU/mL), while the APRI did in active carriers (HBV DNA > 2000 IU/mL). In conclusion, TAC is a promising biomarker for evaluating the progression of liver fibrosis in patients with HBV, and this finding may indicate the involvement of TAC-composing factors in the pathogenesis of hepatic fibrosis in chronic HBV carriers.