Background and aims: The possible role of galectin-3 in acute-on-chronic hepatitis B liver failure (ACHBLF) remains unknown. This study aimed to determine the methylation status of the galectin-3 promoter in patients with ACHBLF and analyze its prognostic value.
Methods: The methylation status of the galectin-3 promoter in patients with ACHBLF, chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and healthy controls (HCs) was determined by methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MSP). The galectin-3 mRNA level in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was detected using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
Results: The methylation frequency of the galectin-3 promoter was significantly higher while galectin-3 mRNA was lower in ACHBLF than in CHB and HCs. Galectin-3 promoter methylation was negatively correlated with the mRNA level in ACHBLF. In addition, ACHBLF patients carrying the methylated promoter showed shorter survival time, higher 3-month mortality, and higher model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score when compared to ACHBLF patients carrying the unmethylated promoter. Moreover, promoter methylation was a better predictor of 3-week mortality than the MELD score in ACHBLF patients.
Conclusion: Our results suggest that hypermethylation of the galectin-3 promoter might be an early biomarker for predicting disease severity and prognosis in patients with ACHBLF.
Keywords: Acute-on-chronic hepatitis B liver failure; DNA methylation; Galectin-3; Prognosis.
Copyright © 2017 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.