Beta2-Glycoprotein I in Hepatitis B virus infection patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, chronic hepatitis B and acute hepatitis B

This study aimed to evaluate the role of plasma Beta 2-Glycoprotein I (beta 2GPI) on hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and acute hepatitis B (AHB). A total of 12 healthy controls (HC) and 107 HBV infection patients, including 43 HCC, 54 CHB and 10 AHB were enrolled in this study. The plasma concentrations of beta 2GPI were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and serum concentrations of TH1 and TH2 type cytokines were determined by cytometric bead array (CBA). Correlations between beta 2GPI and clinicopathologic data were evaluated by Spearman rank correlation test, and the diagnostic values of beta 2GPI were analyzed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. The plasma level of beta 2GPI was significantly elevated in HBV infection patients with HCC and CHB than HC (P < 0.05), while no significant difference was revealed between AHB and HC. Combination of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and beta 2GPI could significantly improve the diagnosis performance of HBV-related HCC (AUC, 0.887). Besides, beta 2GPI was associated with HbeAg in CHB patients, and a positive correlation was revealed on beta 2GPI and IFN-gamma in AHB patients. Plasma beta 2GPI was closely associated with HBV-related HCC, which could be used as a novel diagnosis marker in clinic.