[Using 3 primer pairs to detect HBV DNA in liver tissues from hepatocellular carcinomas with PCR technique]

PCR technique was used to detect HBV DNA in liver tissue samples for study of the prevalence of HBV DNA in tumorous and nearby nontumorous liver tissues from 16 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. Three primer pairs, S1/S2, C1/C2 and X1/X2, used in this study were selected from S region, pre C and C region, and X region of HBV DNA, respectively. The detection limit with agarose gel electrophoresis and ethidium bromide staining (PCR-EB) was 10(-2) pg, and with Southern blot hybridization was 10(-6) pg. The positive rates in amplification of HBV DNA by S, C and X regions primer pairs in liver samples were 43.8% (14/32), 71.9% (23/32) and 71.9% (23/32), respectively. There was significant difference between the positive rates in amplification with S primer and with C primer (P < 0.05), but no significant difference between the C primer and the X primer (P > 0.05), and between the S primer and the X primer (0.10 > P > 0.05). HBV DNA fragments were detected in the livers from all 16 cases. The results indicated that x gene integration which induces hepatocellular carcinogensis and arrest of C gene expression which evades host immune surveillance are the possible mechanisms of HCC development in patients with persistent HBV infection.