Role of IL28-B polymorphisms in the treatment of chronic hepatitis B HBeAg-negative patients with peginterferon

• The role of 3 IL28-B SNPs (rs12979860, rs8099917, rs12980275) on the outcome of PEG-IFN treatment of HBe-negative CHB patients is investigated.
• For the first time, results are stratified according to HBV genotypes.
• Rs12979860 CC is predictive of both virological and serological responses.
• Genotype E is a negative predictive factor of response to PEG-IFN.

Interleukin (IL)28-B polymorphism has been related to interferon response in the treatment of hepatitis C, but its role in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) therapy is still poorly understood.We aimed to investigate the effect of IL28-B polymorphisms in the treatment with pegylated-interferon (PEG-IFN) of patients with CHB.We retrospectively analyzed 190 patients with chronic hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) negative, genotype A (22%), B (12%), C (10%), D (33%), E (20%), treated with PEG-IFN alfa-2a for 48 weeks; genotype analysis was performed for IL28-B polymorphisms rs12979860, rs8099917 and rs12980275 according to virological, serological and biochemical response.During 2 years of follow-up 12 patients (6.3%) cleared hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) with seroconversion, 40 (21%) obtained a negative viral load and 104 (54.7%) gained a biochemical response. We found a difference of distribution of rs12979860 CC genotype among different ethnicity (p = 0.013). Rs12979860 CC genotype was significantly associated with serological and virological response (p < 0.001); rs8099917 TT and rs12980275 AA genotypes were mostly related with virological response (p < 0.001). In multivariate logistic analysis rs12979860 CC was predictive of virological response (OR = 4.290; CI = 1.589–11.580, p = 0.004) and serological response (OR = 10.129; CI = 2.440–42.044; p < 0.001). Rs8099917 TT was predictive only of virological response (OR = 3.746, CI = 1.235–11.355; p = 0.020). The E genotype was a negative predictive factor of virological response (OR = 0.057; CI = 0.014–0.238; p < 0.001).IL28-B polymorphisms are related to different response in the treatment of CHB HBeAg-negative with PEG-IFN, and the E genotype is a novel negative predictive factor.