Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 28, 2026

"Liver-on-a-Chip" Cultures of Primary Hepatocytes and Kupffer Cells for Hepatitis B Virus Infection
10:25

"Liver-on-a-Chip" Cultures of Primary Hepatocytes and Kupffer Cells for Hepatitis B Virus Infection

Published on: February 19, 2019

A Unified Histopathological Framework of Liver Fibrogenesis in Chronic Viral Hepatitis B, C and Coinfection

Alina Dumitrache Păunescu1,2, Nicoleta Anca Ionescu Șuțan2, Liliana Cristina Soare2

  • 1Doctoral School, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, Petru-Rareș Street No. 2, 200349 Craiova, Romania.

Diseases (Basel, Switzerland)
|May 26, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Hepatitis B and C coinfection accelerates liver disease progression. Coinfection amplifies liver injury markers, showing increased inflammation and fibrosis signaling compared to single infections.

Area of Science:

  • Hepatology
  • Virology
  • Immunology

Background:

  • Chronic viral hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) cause progressive liver disease.
  • HBV-HCV coinfection accelerates liver fibrosis and hepatocellular injury.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate integrated biochemical, histopathological, and immunohistochemical features in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), chronic hepatitis C (CHC), and CHB+C coinfection.
  • To correlate these features with biochemical, hematological, and prognostic parameters.

Main Methods:

  • Assessed liver biopsies using Ishak and METAVIR scoring systems.
  • Performed immunohistochemical analysis of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), CD5L, and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) using H-score.
  • Correlated findings with biochemical and hematological parameters.

Main Results:

  • Coinfected patients showed significantly higher ALT, AST, and GGT levels and increased CD5L expression, indicating enhanced macrophage-associated inflammation.
  • While fibrosis stages were comparable, CHB+C coinfection demonstrated an upward trend in α-SMA, TGF-β1, and GFAP, suggesting intensified profibrogenic signaling.
  • Principal Component Analysis revealed distinct biochemical clusters related to hepatocellular injury, hepatic functional impairment, and lipid metabolism.

Conclusions:

  • Chronic viral hepatitis presents a multidimensional pattern of liver injury.
  • CHB+C coinfection amplifies profibrogenic and hepatocellular markers biochemically and histologically, worsening liver disease progression.
Abstract

Keywords:
chronic hepatitis Bchronic hepatitis Ccoinfection B+Chistopathologicimmunohistochemical

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