Serum and tissue positivity for hepatitis B virus markers in histopathologically proven glomerulonephropathies

Abstract

Summary.To assess the pathogenic significance of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in glomerulonephritis (GN), 98 patients with histopathologically proven glomerulonephropathies were screened for HBV markers, complement components and levels of circulating immune complexes (CICs); and renal biopsies from 31 of them were examined for the presence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), and its location, by immunoperoxidase staining. The HBsAg positive rate in the patients (who came from a population with 10% HBsAg positivity) ranged from 51.9% in minimum change nephrotic syndrome (MCNS) to 8 1.8% in patients with proliferative glomerulonephritis (PGN). Whereas 24.5% of the cases were positive for HBsAg only, 10.2% had anti-HBcIgM with HBsAg, 13.3% had HBeAg with HBsAg and 9.2% had HBsAg, HBeAg and anti-HBcIgM. Complement component C3 levels were decreased in all groups of G N studied, but C4 levels varied. CIC levels were significantly increased (p < 0.0 1) only in HBsAg-positive MCNS, focal glomerulosclerosis (FGS) and membranous glomerulonephritis (MGN). Of the 3 1 renal biopsies examined for the deposition of HBsAg, 4 (12.9%) were found to be positive for HBsAg in situ; 64.5% of biopsied patients were seropositive for HBsAg and 77.4% had CICs. All the four in-situ HBsAg-positive cases were seropositive for HBsAg, HBeAg and anti-HBcIgM with significantly high CIC levels (p < 0.01). HBsAg deposition was intracytoplasmic in the mesangial cells of the glomeruli, in the glomerular basement membrane or in the tubules, or in a combination of these sites.

A review of the plants of the genusPhyllanthus: Their chemistry, pharmacology, and therapeutic potential

“…172 More recently, several in vitro and in vivo studies have further confirmed and extended such results by demonstrating that most plants of the genus Phyllanthus are able to inhibit the replication of HBV virus as well as the reverse transcriptase and DNA-polymerase. 11,[172][173][174][175][176][177][178][179][180][181][182][183] Very recently, Lee et al 182 reported that P. amarus extract prevented HBV infection by inhibiting the polymerase activity, decreasing episomal hepatitis B virus DNA content and suppressing virus release into the culture medium. Taken together, such findings are consistent with the notion that P. amarus extract has a beneficial effect against the hepatitis B virus, possibly through inhibition of polymerase activity, mRNA transcription, and replication.…”