Sodium taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (NTCP) polymorphisms may influence HDV RNA load and early response to...

Area of Science:

• Hepatology
• Virology
• Genetics

Background:

• Chronic hepatitis delta (CHD) is a significant liver disease.
• Bulevirtide (BLV) is an NTCP inhibitor used to treat CHD.
• The role of NTCP genetic polymorphisms in CHD and BLV response is unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of NTCP genetic polymorphisms on HDV RNA load.
• To evaluate the association between NTCP polymorphisms and virological response to BLV in CHD patients.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cross-sectional and longitudinal study of BLV-untreated and -treated CHD patients.
• Sanger sequencing used to identify NTCP genetic polymorphisms.
• Clinical and virological data collected up to 96 weeks.

Main Results:

• NTCP rs17556915 TT/CC genotype was linked to higher baseline HDV RNA levels in both untreated and BLV-treated patients.
• TT/CC carriers showed a higher frequency of virological non-response (VNR) compared to partial response (PR) at week 24.
• A significant proportion of TT/CC carriers remained VNR at week 48 of BLV treatment.

Conclusions:

• NTCP rs17556915 C>T polymorphisms may influence HDV RNA load in CHD.
• These polymorphisms could help identify patients with varying early virological responses to BLV.