CHANGES OF HEPATITIS-B CORE ANTIGEN (HBCAG) IN LIVER BIOPSIES OF PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC ACTIVE HEPATITIS-B TREATED WITH INTERFERON

Data have shown that hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAg) is detected in b oth the hepatocyte nucleus and cytoplasm. Its expression is associated with chronic hepatitis and active viral replication. The intrahepatic distribution of HBcAg was studied in liver biopsies of 14 patients wi th chronic active hepatitis B (CAH-B) (5 were hepatitis B e antigen [H BeAg]+/anti-HBe-, 9 were HBeAg-/anti-HBe+) by an immunohistochemical m ethod (PAP) before and after 6-month treatment with interferon (IFN), and our findings were analyzed according to the response of patients t o treatment. Our findings showed that at the end of treatment, nuclear HBcAg was decreased or absent in 4 of 5 and cytoplasmic HBcAg in 2 of 4 HBeAg+/anti-HBe- patients, irrespective of the response to treatmen t. Loss of cytoplasmic expression was related to the outcome of treatm ent in 5 of 9 HBeAg-/anti-HBe+ patients. Four patients expressed no HB cAg before or at the end of treatment. These findings possibly reflect a different pattern of viral core antigen expression as a result of I FN therapy in the two groups of patients.