Altered serum N-glycomics in chronic hepatitis B patients

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<http://www.ingentaconnect.com/co ... 002/art00014Altered> serum N-glycomics in chronic hepatitis B patients Authors: Gui,
Hong-lian1; Gao, Chun-fang2; Wang, Hui1; Liu, Xue-en; Xie, Qing1; Dewaele,
Sylviane; Wang, Ling3; Zhuang, Hui3; Contreras, Roland; Libert, Claude; Chen,
CuiyingSource: Liver International, Volume 30, Number 2, February 2010 , pp.
259-267(9)Publisher: Blackwell PublishingAbstract:Background: We previously
reported on serum N-glycans as markers for the diagnosis of cirrhosis in
patients with chronic hepatitis C infection. Our present study aimed to
evaluate the use of serum glycan markers for the diagnosis of liver fibrosis
in patients with chronic hepatitis B infection. Methods: Patients with
hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection (n=173) were diagnosed by clinical
laboratory analysis and histological examination. Liver fibrosis was staged
using Ishak score. N-glycan profiles of serum proteins were determined by DNA
sequencer-based carbohydrate analytical profiling. Results: We found that in
HBV patients, like in hepatitis C virus patients, several serum N-glycans were
altered during the development of liver fibrosis. We found higher levels of
total agalactosylated biantennary glycans in fibrosis patients with HBV
infection than in healthy controls. The biantennary (NA2) and the triantennary
(NA3) N-glycans decreased significantly (P<0.001) with increased severity of
fibrosis. The diagnostic power of serum glycan marker (GlycoFibroTest) [area
under the curve (AUC)=0.735) was similar to that of FibroTest (AUC=0.740) for
discriminating between moderate and advanced fibrosis (F3-F6) from non- or
mild fibrosis (F0-F2). However, GlycoFibroTest (AUC=0.740) was slightly better
than FibroTest (AUC=0.696) for distinguishing fibrotic patients (F1 or more)
from non-fibrotic patients (F0). Conclusions: The assay for serum glycan
profiling showed satisfactory reproducibility and is a non-invasive blood test
for the diagnosis of liver fibrosis. The changes of N-glycan level in serum
can be used to monitor or follow-up the progress of fibrosis using specific
N-glycan markers. Document Type: Research article DOI:
10.1111/j.1478-3231.2009.02170.xAffiliations: 1: Department of Infectious
Diseases, Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai,
China 2: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Second Military Medical
University, Eastern Hepatobiliary Hospital, Shanghai, China 3: Department of
Microbiology, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
Correction added after online publication 11 Dec 2009: Qing Xie has been added
as a second Corresponding Author.: