Analysis on Pre-S1 antigen test in serum of patients with HBeAg(-) chronic hepatitis B

  Objective   To evaluate the clinical significance of testing the Pre-S1 antigen in HBeAg(-)chronic hepatits Bpatients serum.

  Methods   314 pieces of HBVpositive serum were collected, each was tested separately with both HBVDNA and Pre-S1 antigen by ELISA, including 170 HBeAg(-)pieces and 144 HBeAg(+)pieces.The Pre-S1 antigen and HBV-DNA positive rate was compared between HBeAg(-)and HBeAg(+)groups.

  Results   102(60%)Pre-S1 antigen positive pieces were tested in 170HBeAg(-)patients, the positive ratio was significantly different from HBeAg(+) patients(110 out of 144)(76%)(χ²=9.55, P < 0.005).94% (200 pieces)were also tested HBV-DNA positive in the Pre-S1 positive serum(2.2), its DNA(log)was 5.78±1.94, which could show the significant difference in both positive rate and DNA quantification when compared with Pre-S1 negative patients, with whose DNA positive rate was 84 out of 102 (82%)(χ²=11.45, P < 0.005)and DNA(log)was 4.35±2.33, (t=5.36, P=0.000 1).In the HBeAg(-)group, 90% Pre-S1 serum was also tested with HBV-DNA positive, its DNA(log)was 4.89±2.00, which could show the significant difference in both positive rate and DNA quantification when compared with Pre-S1 negative patients, which DNA positive rate was(75%)(χ²=7.52, P < 0.01)and DNA(log)was 3.77±2.46(t=3.13, P=0.002).Contrastly, in the HBeAg (+)serum groups, although the DNA virus quantification with Pre-S1 positive was higher than that of the Pre-S1 negative group(t=3.73, P < 0.000 1), its total DNA positive rate was shown no difference(χ²=0.627, P > 0.05).

  Conclusion   HBV Pre-S1 antigen is a sensitive serum marker to study the replication of HBV, specially to forecast the state of HBV DNAfor those HBeAg(-)HBV patients.