[The quantitative determination method of covalently closed circular DNA HBV in puncture biopsy specimens of the liver.]

To analyze the method HBV covalent-closed circular DNA quantitative determination in liver puncture biopsies and evaluate its significance in identifying HBsAg-negative viral hepatitis B. In this work, samples of liver tissue biopsy material were used from 128 patients living in St. Petersburg, in various regions of the Russian Federation, as well as in the Republic of Uzbekistan. For quantitative analysis of HBV covalently closed circular DNA in a biopsy material a method was developed based on real-time PCR using TaqMan probes for the target fragment and for the endogenous reference gene, based on the detecting ccc HBV DNA method of Pollicino T. et al. When quantifying ccc DNA HBV in liver tissue of 18 moderately HBV activity with HBV DNA PCR positive results patients and 16 inactive HBsAg carriers, the ccc DNA HBV content was significantly different between groups (p<0.034) and in terms 1 copy of the β-globin gene among moderate activity HBV patients amounted to 1.71±1.32 copies/cell, and for inactive HBsAg carriers 0.15±0.14 copies/cell. In the group of patients with severe liver fibrosis and cirrhosis, the amount of ccc DNA HBV in liver tissue in patients with HBV averaged 2.5±0.4 copies/cell, in patients with HBV + D on average 0.7±0.25 copies/cell, in patients with HCV + HBV co-infection 0.45±0.07 copies/cell, in patients with a preliminary diagnosis of chronic hepatitis C hepatitis, on average 0.12±0.04 copies/cell, in patients with cryptogenic hepatitis 0.2± 0.05 copies/cell. A significant difference was shown between the group of patients with chronic hepatitis B with marked fibrosis and cirrhosis of the liver with other patients groups, except for the group of 18 moderate activity chronic hepatitis B patients. The values of Student's t-test when compared with other groups were respectively: for patients with a HCV preliminary diagnosis t=5,92 p<0,05 f = 19, patients with cryptogenic hepatitis t=5,71 p<0,05 f = 18, with «inactive HBsAg carriage» t=5,55 p<0,05 f = 29, with HCV + HBV co-infection t=5,05 p<0,05 f = 15 and HBV + D co-infection t=3,82 p<0,05 f = 17. The covalently closed circular DNA HBV quantitative assessment method in liver puncture biopsies allows identifying HBsAgnegative chronic viral hepatitis B forms and also reflects the virus replication activity, which, in turn, makes it possible to assume further disease progression and evaluate the antiviral therapy effectiveness.
Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.