Infection with Hepatitis B Virus May Increase the Serum Concentrations of Osteopontin

Abstract

Background: Serum osteopontin (OPN) concentrations were found to be significantly increased in patients infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the association among HCC, OPN, and HBV.

Methods: Two hundred and forty-one subjects were recruited and divided into 6 groups: healthy controls, asymptomatic HBsAg carriers, HBsAg (-) patients with other tumors, HBsAg (+) chronic liver disease patients, HBsAg (+) patients with HCC, and HBsAg (-) patients with HCC or liver cirrhosis (LC). Serum concentrations of OPN and HBsAg were measured and analyzed.

Results: OPN concentrations in the HBsAg (+) HCC group were significantly higher than the healthy control group and the HBsAg (-) patients with other cancers (both p = 0.0001). The OPN concentrations of the HBsAg (-) patients with HCC or LC also did not differ significantly from those of the healthy control group (p = 0.075). There is a correlation between the titer of HBsAg and concentrations of OPN in all 3 HBsAg (+) groups (all p values <0.05).

Conclusions: Infection with HBV may increase the serum concentrations of OPN. The association of OPN and HCC may be not attributable to tumor development per se but, rather, to HBV infection.

Keywords: HBsAg; Hepatitis B virus; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Osteopontin.

Fig. 1

Comparative analysis of the serum concentrations of OPN. The box plot shows median values, upper and lower quartiles, and the largest and smallest observations. Concentrations of OPN of the healthy control group (n = 50) (a); Concentrations of OPN of the other tumors group (n = 39) (b); Concentrations of OPN of the ­HBsAg (−) patients with HCC or LC group (n = 12) (c); Concentrations of OPN of the asymptomatic HBsAg carrier group (n = 62) (d); Concentrations of the OPN of the chronic liver diseases group (n = 28) (e); Concentrations of the OPN of the HCC group (n = 50) (f). OPN, osteopontin; HCC, hepatocellular carcinoma; LC, liver cirrhosis.

Fig. 2

a Simple linear regression analysis of serum viral loads and OPN for asymptomatic HBsAg carriers. p = 0.439. b Simple linear regression analysis of serum viral loads and OPN for HBsAg (+) chronic liver disease patients. p = 0.631. c Simple linear regression analysis of serum viral loads and OPN for HBsAg (+) HCC patients. p = 0.217. OPN, osteopontin; HCC, hepatocellular carcinoma.

Fig. 3

a Simple linear regression analysis of serum titer of HBsAg and concentrations of OPN for asymptomatic HBsAg carriers. p = 0.028. b Simple linear regression analysis of serum titer of HBsAg and concentrations of OPN for HBsAg (+) chronic liver disease patients. p = 0.005. c Simple linear regression analysis of serum titer of ­HBsAg and concentrations of OPN for HBsAg (+) HCC patients. p = 0.001. OPN, osteopontin; HCC, hepatocellular carcinoma.