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Development of a Hepatitis B Virus Reporter System to Monitor the Early Stages of the Replication Cycle
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Hepatitis B core-related antigen reflects viral replication and protein production in chronic hepatitis B patients

Jun Li1, Zhao Wu1, Gui-Qiang Wang1,2,3

  • 1Department of Infectious Disease, Center for Liver Disease, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing 100034, China.

Chinese Medical Journal
|March 18, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Hepatitis B core-related antigen (HBcrAg) levels correlate with viral load and liver inflammation in chronic hepatitis B patients. A decrease in HBcrAg can predict hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) loss during antiviral therapy.

Area of Science:

  • Hepatology
  • Virology
  • Biomarker Discovery

Background:

  • Hepatitis B core-related antigen (HBcrAg) is a potential marker for monitoring chronic hepatitis B (CHB).
  • Understanding HBcrAg's correlation with treatment efficacy and disease markers is crucial for CHB management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between HBcrAg levels and antiviral treatment efficacy.
  • To explore correlations between HBcrAg and virological (HBV DNA, HBsAg, HBeAg) and histological (HAI, fibrosis) variables.
  • To identify predictors of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) loss after 78 weeks of entecavir therapy.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 145 CHB patients receiving entecavir therapy with paired liver biopsies were analyzed.
  • Correlations between HBcrAg and virological/histological parameters were assessed using Pearson correlation.
  • Logistic regression was employed to identify predictors of HBeAg loss.

Main Results:

  • Higher baseline HBcrAg and greater HBcrAg declines were observed in HBeAg-positive versus HBeAg-negative patients.
  • HBcrAg correlated with HBV DNA and HBsAg at baseline and with anti-HBc at 78 weeks.
  • Decreased HBcrAg correlated with reduced HBV DNA, HBsAg, and HAI; it was an independent predictor of HBeAg loss.

Conclusions:

  • HBcrAg reflects viral replication and protein production in CHB.
  • Declining HBcrAg levels are associated with improved virological and histological markers.
  • Reduced HBcrAg serves as a significant predictor of HBeAg loss following antiviral treatment.
Abstract

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