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Serum Hepatitis B Virus RNA: A New Potential Biomarker for Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection
Author(s) -
Liu Shi,
Zhou Bin,
Valdes Juan D.,
Sun Jian,
Guo Haitao
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.488
H-Index - 361
eISSN - 1527-3350
pISSN - 0270-9139
DOI - 10.1002/hep.30325
Subject(s) - cccdna , hepatitis b virus , hepatocellular carcinoma , virology , rna , cirrhosis , hepatitis b , biomarker , medicine , virus , immunology , biology , hbsag , cancer research , gene , biochemistry
Chronic hepatitis B infection is one of the major etiological causes of liver failure, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) worldwide. This condition cannot be completely cured by currently available drugs due to the persistent existence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA), the bona fide transcription template for HBV RNAs, in infected hepatocytes. Because quantifying cccDNA per se requires an invasive procedure, serum biomarkers reflecting intrahepatic cccDNA activity are warranted. Recently, a growing body of research suggests that the circulating HBV RNA may serve as a serum biomarker for HBV infection, treatment, and prognosis. In order to delineate the molecular and clinical characteristics of serum HBV RNA, we systematically reviewed the available literature on serum HBV RNA dating back to the early 1990s. In this review, we summarize the reported serum HBV RNA quantification methods and discuss the potential HBV RNA species in patient serum. We also compare the reported correlations of serum HBV RNA with other serological markers, including HBV DNA, hepatitis B surface antigen, e antigen, and core‐related antigen, as well as their correlations with intrahepatic cccDNA, to assess their potential in clinical applications. Future directions for serum HBV RNA research are also discussed.