title: High Serum Lipopolysaccharide-Binding Protein Level in Chronic Hepatitis C Viral Infection Is Reduced by Anti-Viral Treatments.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP) has been reported to associate with metabolic diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Since chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is associated with metabolic derangements, the relationship between LBP and HCV deserves additional studies. This study aimed to determine the serum LBP level in subjects with or without HCV infection and investigate the change of its level after anti-viral treatments with or without interferon.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We recruited 120 non-HCV subjects, 42 and 17 HCV-infected subjects respectively treated with peginterferon α-2a/ribavirin and direct-acting antiviral drugs. Basic information, clinical data, serum LBP level and abdominal ultrasonography were collected. All the subjects provided written informed consent before being enrolled approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the National Taiwan University Hospital. Serum LBP level was significantly higher in HCV-infected subjects than non-HCV subjects (31.0 ± 8.8 versus 20.0 ± 6.4 μg/mL; p-value < 0.001). After multivariate analyses, LBP at baseline was independently associated with body mass index, hemoglobin A1c, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and HCV infection. Moreover, the baseline LBP was only significantly positively associated with ALT and inversely with fatty liver in HCV-infected subjects. The LBP level significantly decreased at sustained virologic response (27.4 ± 6.6 versus 34.6 ± 7.3 μg/mL, p-value < 0.001; 15.9 ± 4.4 versus 22.2 ± 5.7 μg/mL, p-value = 0.001), regardless of interferon-based or -free therapy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  LBP, an endotoxemia associated protein might be used as an inflammatory biomarker of both infectious and non-infectious origins in HCV-infected subjects.
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.|Liver Disease Prevention and Treatment Research Foundation, Taipei, Taiwan.|Department of Family Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Hsiao-Ching
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Nien
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital Yun-Lin Branch, Yun-Lin, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Shih-Jer
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Tung-Hung
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Su
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.|Department of Surgery, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Po-Jen
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Liver Disease Prevention and Treatment Research Foundation, Taipei, Taiwan.|Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Jin-Chuan
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Sheu
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.|Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Jin-Town
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.|Department of Medical Genetics, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Lu-Ping
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Chow
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.|Graduate Institute of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chi-Ling
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.|Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.|Hepatitis Research Center, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Jia-Horng
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kao
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.|Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.|Hepatitis Research Center, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Wei-Shiung
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000209:Acute-Phase Proteins; D000328:Adult; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D000099231:Lipopolysaccharide-Binding Protein
chemical_list: D000209:Acute-Phase Proteins; D000998:Antiviral Agents; D015415:Biomarkers; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D000099231:Lipopolysaccharide-Binding Protein