Relationships between low serum vitamin D levels and HBV "a" determinant mutations in chronic hepatitis B patients.
BACKGROUND
Vitamin D is significantly associated with virus replication in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. However, the relationship between low serum vitamin D levels and HBV "a" determinant mutations remains unknown.


METHODS
A total of 133 chronically HBV-infected, treatment-naive patients were randomly selected in the present study. Serum vitamin D levels were measured by using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The HBV "a" determinant was amplified, sequenced, and analyzed by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR).


RESULTS
Among 133 patients, 36, 88, and 9 patients had vitamin D deficiency (25(OH)D < 14 ng/mL), vitamin D insufficiency (25(OH)D ≥ 14 and < 30 ng/mL), and normal vitamin D serum levels ((25(OH)D ≥ 30 ng/mL), respectively. As results showed, 36 [11 genotype B HBVs (HBV/B) and 25 genotype C HBVs (HBV/C)] were isolated from the vitamin D-deficient group, 88 (48 HBV/B and 40 HBV/C) from the vitamin D-insufficient group, and 4 HBV/C strains from the normal serum-vitamin D group. Compared to the HBV/B infected patients with vitamin D insufficiency, higher rates of amino acid mutation within "a" determinant were detected in HBV/B-infected, vitamin D-deficient patients. Moreover, the change frequency of M133 was 27.27% in HBV/B infected patients with vitamin D deficiency, which was significantly higher than those in the vitamin D-insufficient group (p = 0.040).


CONCLUSIONS
Vitamin D deficiency is significantly associated with genotype B HBV "a" determinant mutations.
Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, China. zhuhuijuansd@163.com.
Huijuan
H
Zhu
Xingxiang
X
Liu
Yi
Y
Ding
Hui
H
Zhou
Yiying
Y
Wang
Zhiwei
Z
Zhou
Xinxin
X
Li
Zengli
Z
Zhang
Chen
C
Dong
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000150:complications* / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D008875:Middle Aged; D009154:Mutation; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D044967:Serum / Q000737:chemistry*; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000097:blood; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency; D055815:Young Adult
D004279:DNA, Viral; D014807:Vitamin D