Associations of Wnt5a expression with liver injury in chronic hepatitis B virus infection

Background: Aberrant Wnt5a expression contributes to immunity, inflammation and tissue damage. However, it remains unknown whether Wnt5a is associated with liver injury in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Methods Wnt5a mRNA levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were analyzed in 31 acute-on-chronic hepatitis B liver failure (ACHBLF) patients, 82 chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients, and 20 healthy controls using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Intrahepatic Wnt5a protein expression from 32 chronic HBV infection patients and 6 normal controls was evaluated by immunohistochemistry staining. Results Wnt5a mRNA expression was increased in CHB patients and ACHBLF patients compared to that in healthy controls and were positively correlated with liver injury markers and the HBV DNA load. Furthermore, intrahepatic Wnt5a protein expression was elevated in chronic HBV infection patients compared to that in normal controls. Moreover, chronic HBV infection patients with higher hepatic inflammatory grades had increased intrahepatic Wnt5a protein expression than those with lower hepatic inflammatory grades. In addition, the cut off value of 12.59 for Wnt5a mRNA level was a strong indicator for identifying ACHBLF from CHB. Conclusions We indicated that Wnt5a expression was associated with liver injury in chronic HBV infection patients. Wnt5a might be involved in the exacerbation of chronic HBV infection procedure.