A Study On The Expression Of Hepatitis B Virus DNA In Ovary Of Human And Vertical Transmission

Objective: To detect the expression of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA in ovary of pregnant women with positive HBsAg and HBeAg and the vertical transmission of HBV DNA (including U₅ sequence) between the pregnant women and newborns, study the vertical transmission of HBV via oocyte and further investigate the mechanism of the HBV vertical transmission.Methods: The ovarian samples of 21 pregnant women with chronic hepatitis B and 20 normal samples were collected, sliced up and stained with immunohistochemical technique to detect the expression of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). The human ovarian follicles were isolated from the ovaries of 21 pregnant women with chronic hepatitis B and 20 normal samples by microdissection, then genome DNA of follicles and the umbilical cord blood of the corresponding newborns were subtracted, HBV DNA was amplified and studied by PCR.RESULTS: (1) The positive expressions of HBsAg were observed in 14 (14/21) ovaries, while there were no expressions of HBsAg in normal samples. Furthermore the expressions of HBsAg in cytoplast of the follicular cells were detected in the 5 samples from the 14 positive samples. There were significant differences in the detections rate of HBsAg(P<0.01). (2) The positive detections of HBV DNA were identified in 8(8/21) ovarian follicles and in 6(6/8) umbilical cord blood of the corresponding newborns. Another exception was observed that HBV DNA of ovarian follicles is negative and the corresponding newborn's umbilical cord blood is positive. There were significant differences in the detections rate of HBsAg (P<0.01).Conclusion: (1)It is found for the first time in the world that in 14 (14/21) ovaries and 5(5/21) samples' cytoplast of the follicular cells of pregnant women with chronic hepatitis B HBsAg was expressed .The detections rate of the expressions of HBsAg in pregnant women with chronic hepatitis B is significantly higher than that in normal people, which indicates that the pregnant women with chronic hepatitis B is closely associated with the HBV infection of ovaries. The results can be regarded as the indirect evidences that HBV infects generative cells. (2) Human ovarian follicles are obtained for the first time by microdissection technique and the vertical transmission rate of HBV DNA is 23.8%,which offers the useful proof for the HBV transmission via oocyte. (3) HBV infection of pregnant women's ovaries is the main factor which may be transmissed through the way of blood system.