Levels of Antibodies to Hepatitis B Core Antigen Are Associated With Liver Inflammation and Response to Peginterferon in Patients With Chronic Hepatitis B

In peginterferon-treated patients with chronic hepatitis B, higher levels of antibodies to hepatitis B core antigen were associated with both more intrahepatic inflammatory activity and favorable treatment responses, underscoring the importance of B-cell activation in controlling hepatitis B virus replication. Background Emerging evidence suggests a pivotal role for B-cell responses in the natural history of chronic hepatitis B. Serum levels of antibodies to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) vary across infection stages, but their role in predicting response to antiviral therapy is uncertain. Methods Anti-HBc levels were assessed before peginterferon (PEG-IFN) therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis B who either started de novo PEG-IFN (n = 299; 195 hepatitis B e antigen [HBeAg] positive) or started PEG-IFN as add-on to an existing nucleo(s)tide analogue backbone (n = 91; all HBeAg-positive). Associations were explored between anti-HBc and (1) serum biomarkers, (2) liver histological findings, and (3) treatment response. Results We studied 390 patients. The hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotype were A, B, C, and D in 24%, 9%, 16%, and 49%, respectively; 72% of patients were Caucasian. Among currently untreated HBeAg-positive patients, anti-HBc was correlated with HBV DNA, hepatitis B core-related antigen (HBcrAg), hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), and HBV RNA, but not with alanine aminotransferase (ALT). Higher anti-HBc was associated with more severe histological inflammatory activity (P < .001), irrespective of HBeAg status. After de novo PEG-IFN, higher anti-HBc levels were associated with HBeAg loss, sustained response, HBsAg decline, and HBsAg clearance (P < .050). Among patients treated with add-on PEG-IFN, higher anti-HBc was associated with HBeAg loss (P = .01). Conclusions Serum anti-HBc levels correlate with histological inflammatory activity. Higher anti-HBc levels were associated with favorable treatment outcomes. These findings suggest that anti-HBc could be used to select patients most likely to respond to immunomodulatory therapy.