Increased P ygo2 expression in liver of patients with hepatitis B virus‐related fibrosis

Background & Aims It has been reported that W nt/β‐catenin signalling pathway played a key role in liver fibrosis and that P ygo2 was an important mediator in β‐catenin induced pathway. However, the role of P ygo2 in liver fibrogenesis was unknown. Our study was to investigate the expression of P ygo2 and its diagnostic value in patients with HBV ‐related liver fibrosis. Methods Hundred and sixty‐four patients with HBV infection underwent liver biopsy and liver stiffness measurement ( LSM ) by transient elastography ( F ibroscan ® ; Echosens). Liver function was tested by routine biochemical examinations. Liver condition was assessed by haematoxylin and eosin ( H & E ) and M asson's trichrome staining. The expression of P ygo2 in liver tissue was measured by Real‐time PCR and immunohistochemistry, respectively, while the serum levels of P ygo2 were detected by ELISA . The relationship between degree of liver fibrosis and P ygo2 expression was assessed by correlation analysis. Receiver operating characteristics ( ROC ) analysis was used to evaluate diagnostic accuracy of serum P ygo2, LSM and their combination. Results The mRNA and protein levels of P ygo2 in HBV ‐infected patients were all higher than in normal persons ( P  <   0.05 respectively). Moreover, P ygo2 expression increased along with the progression of liver fibrosis ( P  <   0.05 respectively). The trend of serum P ygo2 agreed with its expression in liver tissue. The combination of serum P ygo2 and LSM had a significantly higher area under the curve than P ygo2 or LSM alone ( P  <   0.05 respectively). Conclusions This study suggested that P ygo2 was involved in HBV ‐induced liver fibrogenesis. Pygo2 is a valuable biomarker for the evaluation of fibrosis in HBV ‐infected patients.