The Relationship Between Integrin Av Beta 6 And Hbv Infection In Patients With Liver Cirrhosis And Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Preliminary Report

Objective: the aim of this study was to investigate the expression of integrin alpha v beta 6 in normal, hepatitis B, HBV-associated cirrhosis and HBV-associated HCC liver tissues.Methods: immunohistochemistry and real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) were used to study the expression of integrin alpha v beta 6 in HBV-associated cirrhosis (n = 88), chronic hepatitis B ( n= 11), HBV-associated HCC (n = 84) and normal (n= 10) human liver tissues.Results: the expression of integrin alpha v beta 6 was significantly upregulated in HBV-associated liver cirrhosis and the expression increased with an increase in severity of cirrhosis. Furthermore, it was moderately or weakly expressed in chronic hepatitis B and HBV-associated HCC liver tissues when compared to normal liver tissue.Conclusion: integrin alpha v beta 6 could be a predictive marker for the progression of liver cirrhosis associated with HBV infection. Further studies are needed to determine the association between the expression of integrin alpha v beta 6 in hepatitis B and HBV-associated HCC liver tissues.