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Published on: February 1, 2017
Emerging Serum Biomarkers for Chronic Hepatitis B: Focus on Serum HBV RNA and HBcrAg
Yike Tian1, Haibo Yu1, Juan Chen1,2
1Department of Infectious Diseases, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Infectious Diseases (Ministry of Education), Institute for Viral Hepatitis, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.
Insights
Two novel biomarkers, serum HBV RNA and hepatitis B core-related antigen, show promise for monitoring chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. They correlate with viral replication and can predict disease progression and outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Virology
- Biomarker Discovery
Background:
- Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a leading cause of liver disease, including cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.
- Effective patient management requires reliable biomarkers to assess viral replication, liver damage, and predict clinical outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- This review focuses on serum HBV RNA and hepatitis B core-related antigen as promising biomarkers for chronic HBV infection.
- To highlight their potential in monitoring disease progression and guiding personalized therapeutic decisions.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on serum HBV RNA and hepatitis B core-related antigen in chronic HBV infection.
- Analysis of correlations between these biomarkers, viral replication markers, and clinical outcomes.
Main Results:
- Serum HBV RNA levels reflect intrahepatic covalently closed circular DNA activity and correlate with viral replication markers.
- Serum HBV RNA predicts seroconversion, relapse, and liver fibrosis.
- Hepatitis B core-related antigen correlates with covalently closed circular DNA and predicts liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma risk.
Conclusions:
- Serum HBV RNA and hepatitis B core-related antigen are valuable biomarkers for assessing HBV replication and disease progression.
- These biomarkers can aid in personalized treatment strategies and risk stratification for liver-related complications in chronic HBV patients.
Abstract:
Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a major cause of liver diseases, including cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Reliable biomarkers for assessing viral replication, liver damage, and predicting clinical outcomes are essential for effective patient management. This review focuses on two promising biomarkers: serum HBV RNA and hepatitis B core-related antigen, both of which show strong correlations with viral replication and disease progression. Serum HBV RNA levels reflect the quantity and transcriptional activity of intrahepatic covalently closed circular DNA, providing insights into viral replication. They also correlate with other markers of replicative activity and have predictive value for key clinical outcomes, including hepatitis B e antigen and hepatitis B surface antigen seroconversion, relapse after therapy cessation, and liver fibrosis. Similarly, hepatitis B core-related antigen is closely associated with covalently closed circular DNA levels, correlates with markers of viral replication, and shows promise in predicting liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma. This review highlights the potential of both biomarkers for monitoring disease progression and guiding therapeutic decisions, particularly in the context of personalized treatment strategies and risk assessment for liver-related complications.
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