Analysis of serum bile acid profiles in patients with hepatitis B virus infection complicated with liver cirrhosis
10.3760/cma.j.cn112866-20250614-00124
- VernacularTitle:乙型肝炎病毒感染并发肝硬化患者血清胆汁酸谱分析
- Author:
Wang ZHANG
1
;
Jia LIU
;
Aixia LIU
;
Jie SUN
;
Lifang XIA
;
Bo LI
;
Boan LI
Author Information
1. 中国人民解放军总医院第五医学中心检验科，北京 100039
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Hepatitis B virus;
Primary biliary cholangitis;
Liver cirrhosis;
Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry
- From:
Chinese Journal of Experimental and Clinical Virology
2025;39(4):419-426
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:By analyzing the concentration distribution and hydrophilic/hydrophobic proportion differences of 15 bile acid subtypes in the serum of patients with hepatitis B virus（HBV）infection complicated with liver cirrhosis and primary biliary cholangitis（PBC）complicated with liver cirrhosis，this study aims to explore the potential associations between bile acid metabolism and these diseases，providing a reference basis for identifying disease-specific metabolic fingerprints in the diagnosis，treatment，and prognosis of liver diseases. Furthermore，building on the pharmacological mechanisms of ursodeoxycholic acid（UDCA）in the treatment of PBC，this research investigates potential therapeutic applications of bile acid drugs in HBV infection.Methods:A retrospective analysis method was adopted. We enrolled 27 HBV infection complicated with liver cirrhosis patients and 59 PBC complicated with liver cirrhosis patients who received outpatient or inpatient treatment at the Fifth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital from November 2024 to April 2025. The general data and routine clinical laboratory data of the two groups of patients were collected and analyzed. Using the ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry（UHPLC-QqQ-MS/MS）platform，precise quantification and differential analysis of 15 bile acid subtypes were performed in serum samples. Partial least squares discriminant analysis（PLS-DA）was employed to perform discriminant analysis on serum bile acid profiles data between the two groups，and variable importance in projection（VIP）values were calculated to identify key bile acid subtypes that could differentiate the two diseases. Box plots were constructed to analyze proportion differences in serum hydrophilic and hydrophobic bile acids between the two groups，aiming to explore potential associations between bile acid metabolism and the diseases.Results:The HBV infection group and the PBC group exhibited similar impairment of routine liver function parameters. The HBV infection group had higher serum concentrations of cholic acid（CA），chenodeoxycholic acid（CDCA）and deoxycholic acid（DCA），but lower concentrations of UDCA，glycoursodeoxycholic acid（GUDCA）and tauroursodeoxycholic acid（TUDCA）. The score plot generated by the PLS-DA model demonstrated significant differences in bile acid profile characteristics between the two diseases，with VIP values for UDCA，CDCA，GUDCA，TUDCA，and DCA all greater than 1. Box plots demonstrated a higher proportion of hydrophobic bile acids in the bile acid profile of the HBV infection group compared to the PBC group.Conclusion:This study found significant differences in serum bile acid profile characteristics between patients with HBV infection complicated with liver cirrhosis and those with PBC complicated with liver cirrhosis，specific bile acid subtypes such as CDCA and DCA have the potential to become specific metabolic fingerprints for these two diseases. HBV infection group exhibited higher proportion of hydrophobic bile acids in their bile acid profiles compared to PBC group. The characteristic changes in bile acid profiles can reflect the pathological characteristics of liver diseases，and their differences in hydrophilic/hydrophobic bile acids proportion represents a novel dimension independent of traditional liver function indicators，with potential value for disease prognosis assessment. UDCA or its derivatives may hold therapeutic potential for HBV infection patients with liver cirrhosis who exhibit accumulation of hydrophobic bile acids.
