An Altered Pattern of Liver Apolipoprotein A-I Isoforms Is Implicated in Male Chronic Hepatitis B Progression

Abstract

Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) appears to progress more rapidly in males than in females, and CHB-related hepatic cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma are predominately diseases that tend to occur in men and postmenopausal women. To obtain more insight into the underlying mechanisms of gender disparity of CHB progress, two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis was employed to compare liver proteome of C57BL/6 and HBV transgenic (HBV-Tg) mice both in male and female groups. We identified 8 differently expressed proteins in male HBV-Tg mice and 12 in female HBV-Tg mice. Apolipoprotein A-I (Apo A-I) was found to be down-regulated in male and female HBV-Tg mouse liver. It is more interesting that the pattern of liver Apo A-I isoforms was altered in male HBV-Tg mice but not in female HBV-Tg mice. Our further results indicated that the basic Apo A-I isoform, based on pI positions from serum 2-dimensional Western blotting, increased in male CHB patient sera but not in female CHB patient sera. Finally, we identified that the oxidative modification Apo A-I mainly reside in basic isoform. This pattern of selectively modified Apo A-I isoforms may be considered as a pathological hallmark that may extend our knowledge of the molecular pathogenesis of CHB progression.

Efficacy of the nationwide hepatitis B infant vaccination program in Taiwan

“…Males are more prone to contracting HCC caused by HBV than females. 51,52 This study showed a predominance of males as HBVcarriers and an elevated risk of CHB. As in previous reports, the host cell of males appears to be more susceptible to HBV in contracting chronic hepatitis and primary hepatocellular carcinoma than that of females.…”

“…Scientists have recently determined that the basic Apo A-I isoform in males might be a key molecule associated with gender difference the progression of CHB. 51 The major limitation of this study was the retrospective design. This study did not exclude the possibility of bias and did not examine other confounding factors associated between HAL and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, such as obesity, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, or metabolic syndrome.…”

“…As in previous reports, the host cell of males appears to be more susceptible to HBV in contracting chronic hepatitis and primary hepatocellular carcinoma than that of females. 51,53,54 However, no evidence exists to explain this mystery of gender variation with regard to HBV. Scientists have recently determined that the basic Apo A-I isoform in males might be a key molecule associated with gender difference the progression of CHB.…”

Relatively High Seroprevalence of Hepatitis B Surface Antigen in Female Civil Servants in Enugu State of Nigeria

“…All over the world, including Nigeria, most studies have reported a greater tendency for HBV progression in males than females. [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] The higher seroprevalence in females demonstrated in this study may be explained by the circumcision history of most of the HBsAg positive females. Even though only 34.4% of the females had a history of circumcision, 16 of them (24.6%) were HBsAg seropositive.…”

“…This finding was also verified in chronic hepatitis B patient serum. 14 In this seroprevalence study, the authors seized the opportunity of 2010 World Hepatitis Day to mount a public enlightenment campaign and screening of civil servants of Enugu State of Nigeria, for HBV infection using the surrogate marker, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). Selected risk factors for HBV transmission were also determined.…”