Biomarker Panel Offers Insight Into Immune-Inflammatory Response to HBV

Immunological dysregulation from hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection can be assessed using a biomarker panel that includes immunoglobulin G (IgG) subclasses, rheumatoid factor (RF) isotypes, and free light chains (FLCs), suggests a study published in Rheumatology.

“The immune-inflammatory response triggered by HBV may be monitored by a peculiar profile of biomarkers,” researchers reported.

The retrospective study involved data for 44 patients positive for HBV and 20 healthy blood donors. Patients with HBV were separated into 2 groups: 22 with mixed cryoglobulinemia, and 22 without cryoglobulins. Researchers tested serum samples for IgG subclasses, RF isotypes, and FLCs in an attempt to detect a new panel of biomarkers for clinical evaluation of HBV-related cryoglobulinemia.

“We detected a strikingly different distribution of serum IgG subclasses between healthy donors and HBV-positive patients, together with different RF isotypes,” researchers reported.

Compared with healthy donors, patients positive for HBV also had significantly increased FLCs, according to the study.

No significant difference was identified for patients with and without mixed cryoglobulinemia.

“Our results open a new perspective in the precision medicine era; in these challenging times, they could also be employed to monitor the clinical course of those COVID-19 patients who are at high risk of HBV reactivation due to liver impairment and/or immunosuppressive therapies,” researchers advised.

—Jolynn Tumolo

Reference

Pocino K, Napodano C, Gragnani L, et al. Solving the mystery of HBV-related mixed cryoglobulinemia: potential biomarkers of disease progression. Rheumatology. 2021;60(9):4418-4427.