Department of Hepatology, Okinaka Memorial Institute for Medical Research, Toranomon Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
Liver Research Laboratory, Toranomon Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
J Med Virol. 2018 Oct;90(10):1586-1592. doi: 10.1002/jmv.25238. Epub 2018 Jul 10.
It is currently unclear what impact serum microRNA-122 (miR-122) levels have on clearance of hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface antigen (HBsAg) in HBV-infected patients who had not received antiviral therapy. The current study evaluated the impact of serum miR-122 levels on HBsAg seroclearance in 367 consecutive HBV-infected patients who had not received antiviral therapy between their initial and last visit, and investigated the predictive factors of HBsAg seroclearance. Cumulative HBsAg seroclearance rates were 13.5%, 32.0%, and 37.4% after 10, 20, and 30 years, respectively. The yearly incidence of HBsAg seroclearance over the investigated 30-year period was 1.25%. A significant and strong correlation was observed between serum miR-122 and HBsAg levels. Moreover, there was a significant correlation between serum miR-122 levels and the levels of HBV DNA, hepatitis B e-antigen, and HBV core-related antigen. The HBsAg seroclearance rate in patients with a <1.0-fold change of serum miR-122 levels was significantly higher than in those with a ≥1.0-fold change. Multivariate analysis identified age (≥30 years), HBV DNA levels (<2.2 log U/mL), HBV genotype (non-C), and serum miR-122 levels (<1.0-fold change) as significant predictors of HBsAg seroclearance. Our results indicated that serum miR-122 level is an important predictor of HBsAg seroclearance in Japanese patients who do not receive antiviral therapy. Understanding the complexity of the interactions among various virus-related and host-related factors could potentially help in the design of new therapies that enhance HBsAg seroclearance.
目前尚不清楚未接受抗病毒治疗的乙型肝炎病毒（HBV）感染者血清 microRNA-122（miR-122）水平对清除 HBV 表面抗原（HBsAg）有何影响。本研究评估了血清 miR-122 水平对 367 例未接受抗病毒治疗的 HBV 感染者初始和最后一次就诊期间 HBsAg 血清清除的影响，并探讨了 HBsAg 血清清除的预测因素。分别在 10、20 和 30 年后，累积 HBsAg 血清清除率分别为 13.5%、32.0%和 37.4%。在 30 年的研究期间，HBsAg 血清清除的年发生率为 1.25%。血清 miR-122 与 HBsAg 水平之间存在显著且强烈的相关性。此外，血清 miR-122 水平与 HBV DNA、乙型肝炎 e 抗原和 HBV 核心相关抗原水平之间存在显著相关性。血清 miR-122 水平变化<1.0 倍的患者 HBsAg 血清清除率明显高于变化≥1.0 倍的患者。多变量分析确定年龄（≥30 岁）、HBV DNA 水平（<2.2logU/mL）、HBV 基因型（非-C）和血清 miR-122 水平（<1.0 倍变化）是 HBsAg 血清清除的显著预测因子。我们的研究结果表明，血清 miR-122 水平是预测日本未接受抗病毒治疗的患者 HBsAg 血清清除的重要指标。了解各种病毒相关和宿主相关因素之间相互作用的复杂性，可能有助于设计增强 HBsAg 血清清除的新疗法。
