Establishment of a new method for the detection of the affinity of antibody to hepatitis B e antigen by a routine quantitative system

Background: The commonly used quantitative analyses for specific antibodies only involve measurement of the total antibody activity, and the binding affinity is rarely analyzed. We established a method for the detection of the affinity of the antibody to hepatitis B e antigen (anti-HBe).

Methods: A method to detect anti-HBe affinity was established by using a routine quantitative system (Architect Analyzer). Serum samples were collected from hepatitis B patients with anti-HBe. On the basis of the other serologic markers in the samples, patients were divided into HBsAg positive and anti-HBs positive groups. The total anti-HBe activity and anti-HBe affinity were each measured.

Results: The affinity of anti-HBe in the anti-HBs positive group was higher than that in the HBsAg positive group (P<0.05); conversely, the total anti-HBe activity in the anti-HBs positive group was lower than that in the HBsAg positive group (P<0.05).

Conclusions: The anti-HBe affinity arising from an immune response to HBV infection may vary significantly between different situations. This new approach will be suitable for determining antibody affinity in clinical laboratories.