title: Serum ficolin-2 concentrations are significantly changed in patients with hepatitis B virus infection and liver diseases.
abstract: Human ficolin-2 is an important lectin complement pathway activator that is secreted from liver cells and has been implicated as an anti-infection innate immune molecule. However, the role of ficolin-2 protein and its dynamic changes over the course of and in the prognosis of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain unclear. In this study, we analyzed ficolin-2 protein expression in a cohort of individuals with CHB infection, HCC and cirrhosis. A sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method was used to measure serum ficolin-2 concentrations. Ficolin-2 expression in liver tissues was detected by immunohistochemical staining. Serum ficolin-2 concentrations in CHB patients were significantly higher than in healthy controls and HBV carriers. After 48 weeks of routine amelioration liver function treatment, serum ficolin-2 concentrations decreased and were positively correlated with favorable alanine aminotransferase (ALT), HBV DNA and HBeAg-seroconversion outcomes. Interestingly, we observed much lower expression of serum and intrahepatic ficolin-2 in HCC and cirrhosis compared with healthy controls. Our findings suggest that serum and intrahepatic ficolin-2 levels may be considered one of the indicators for the response of chronic HBV infection, HCC and cirrhosis.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Virology and Department of Immunology and Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy and Immunology, Wuhan University School of Medicine, Wuhan, 430071, China.
authors.forename: Tielong
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yilan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Quanquan
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Fubing
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Fengling
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Xiao-Lian
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000473:pathology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D037102:Lectins / Q000097:blood*; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000473:pathology*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D044967:Serum / Q000737:chemistry*; D055815:Young Adult; D000097604:Ficolins
chemical_list: D037102:Lectins; D000097604:Ficolins