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Virological classification of autopsy livers with hepatic disorders
Insights
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA is detectable in liver tissue when HBV-associated serological markers are present. These markers reliably indicate HBV infection in liver disease patients, showing equivalence to DNA detection methods.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Virology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and liver cirrhosis are significant global health concerns.
- Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major causative agent for chronic liver diseases, including HCC.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the correlation between HBV-associated serological markers and the presence of HBV DNA in autopsy liver tissues.
- To evaluate the diagnostic equivalence of serological marker detection and HBV DNA detection in liver disease.
Main Methods:
- Histological classification of 46 autopsy livers into hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and HCC.
- Detection of HBV surface antigen (HBsAg), anti-HBs, and anti-HBc in sera and liver homogenates.
- Southern blot technique for HBV DNA detection in liver tissues.
Main Results:
- HBV markers were detected in 38% of hepatitis, 69% of cirrhosis, and 77% of HCC cases.
- The majority of marker-positive samples (10/11) were also positive for HBV DNA.
- No HBV DNA was detected in marker-negative samples, and no homology was found with non-B liver disorders.
Conclusions:
- Detection of HBV-associated serological markers is a reliable indicator of demonstrable HBV DNA in liver tissue.
- Serological marker detection and HBV DNA detection methods showed comparable results in this study.
- The study found no evidence of HBV DNA in non-B type liver disorders.
Abstract:
Forty six selected autopsy livers with hepatic disorders were classified histologically into three groups, i.e., hepatitis 8, liver cirrhosis 16 and hepatocellular carcinoma 22, chiefly by histological findings. These groups were subdivided into two categories after determining the presence or absence of three HBV associated markers, i.e., the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), the antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs) and the antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) in the sera and liver homogenates. At least one of these markers was found to be present in the sera and homogenates of 38% of the livers with hepatitis, 69% of the livers with liver cirrhosis and 77% of the livers with hepatocellular carcinoma. When the liver tissues were examined for the presence of HBV DNA using Southern blot technique, the majority of them (10 out of 11) which proved to be positive for at least one HBV associated marker were also positive for HBV DNA. However, HBV DNA could not be detected in the other 10 livers which contained no HBV associated markers. These results showed that a HBV associated serological marker was always expressed, when liver tissue HBV DNA was demonstrable. The results of the two detection methods we used in this study were found to be almost equivalent. These results showed no evidence of nucleic acid homology between DNA from the liver of patients with non-B type liver disorders and HBV DNA.