Clinical efficacy analysis of nucleoside analogues in the treatment of HBeAg positive patients with high viral load chronic hepatitis B

Acta Universitatis Medicinalis Anhui 2025, 06, v.60 1134-1139+1148     font:big middle small

Fund programs: National Science and Technology Major Project (No.2018ZX10302-206)

Authors:Ding Xiuli ; Yin Huafa; Cui Xiaoling

Keywords:chronic hepatitis B; high viral load; nucleoside(acid) drugs; monotherapy; combination therapy; antiviral therapy;

DOI:10.19405/j.cnki.issn1000-1492.2025.06.023

〔Abstract〕 Objective To compare the antiviral efficacy and renal safety of nucleoside analogs(NAs) monotherapy versus combination therapy in hepatitis B e antigen(HBeAg)-positive chronic hepatitis B(CHB) patients with high viral load. Methods This study enrolled a total of 353 treatment-naïve HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with high viral load , the treatment regimen was divided into 5 groups , consisting of 4 monotherapy groups and 1 combination therapy group as follows : 88 cases in the Entecavir (ETV) group , 135 cases in the Teno- fovir Disoproxil Fumarate (TDF) group , 34 cases in the Tenofovir Alafenamide Fumarate (TAF) group , 25 cases in the Tenofovir Amibufenamide (TMF) group , and 71 cases in the ETV combined with TDF (ETV + TDF) group . A retrospective cohort study design was adopted to analyze HBV DNA levels , serological indicators ( HBsAg and HBeAg levels) , renal function indicators ( serum Scr levels , eGFR) at 24 and 48 weeks of treatment across various groups , as well as the HBsAg clearance rates , HBeAg seroconversion rates and HBV DNA suppression rates (HBV DNA < 20 IU/ml) at 48 weeks across the groups . Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify the influencing factors for HBV DNA suppression . Results At 24 weeks , the HBV DNA level in the ETV + TDF selected . Key miRNAs included hsa-let-7b-5p , hsa-let-7c-5p , hsa-let-7b-3p _ 1ss22CT , and hsa-miR-199b-5p , with BACH1 and IFNAR1 identified as their shared target genes . GO analysis revealed that the enriched target genes were primarily involved in protein binding , metal ion binding , transferase activity , DNA binding , transcriptional regulation by RNA polymerase Ⅱ , and nucleotide binding. KEGG pathway analysis indicated that the target genes were mainly associated with metabolic pathways , cancer-related pathways , the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway , and the Rap1 signaling pathway . Conclusion For HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B(CHB) patients with high viral load, the combination therapy of ETV and TDF significantly enhances viral suppression compared to monotherapy, without increasing the risk of renal adverse events. This suggests that the combination therapy can be considered a preferred strategy for this specific patient population.