Trend of 25-hydroxycholesterol and 27-hydroxycholesterol plasma levels in patients affected by active chronic hepatitis B virus infection and inactive carriers

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a global health problem with different immunological phases and therapeutic approaches. The serological condition of inactive carrier (IC) was recently well defined as a clinical and virological stable status, in which specific treatment is usually deferred, while the active chronic hepatitis B (CHB) condition requires an immediate treatment strategy. Recently, a possible broad antiviral effect of oxysterols, in particular 25-hydroxycholesterol (25OHC) and 27-hydroxycholesterol (27OHC), was observed, as most likely linked to the positive modulation of innate immunity, but no clear evidence is available about their possible role in chronic HBV infection. Thus, we examined the relationship between the plasma levels of oxysterols and the disease condition of 40 HBV patients, without treatment at the start of the study. Of these, 33 were ICs and 7 were active CHB subjects. A marked reduction of 25OHC and 27OHC plasma levels was detectable in all active CHB recruited patients, while the plasma values observed in ICs all remained within the physiological range. No difference was observed between the two groups of patients with regard to the plasma levels of 24-hydroxycholesterol (24OHC). Further, the plasma level of 27OHC ≥ 140 μg/L was shown to be predictive of an inactive carrier status. This cohort study points to 27OHC as a good candidate biomarker to differentiate active and inactive CHB status. An increasing bulk of research reports is supporting the very likely contribution of this oxysterol to the immunological control of chronic hepatitis B.