Association between NTCP hepatic expression and inflammation/fibrosis as well as gender‐specific differences in chronic HBV‐infected patients

Abstract To investigate the relationship between the expression of hepatitis B virus (HBV) functional receptor sodium taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (NTCP) with disease progression and gender‐specific differences in chronic HBV‐infected patients. Liver samples were collected from chronic HBV‐infected patients who underwent percutaneous liver biopsy or liver surgery. HBV DNA levels and the mRNA and protein expression levels of NTCP in liver tissues were determined. The relationship between NTCP expression and HBV DNA levels, inflammatory activity, fibrosis, and gender‐specific differences were analyzed. A total of 94 chronic HBV‐infected patients were included. Compared with patients with a METAVIR score of A0‐1 or F0‐1, patients with score of A2 or F2/F3 had a relatively higher level of NTCP expression. NTCP levels were positively correlated with HBV DNA levels. The inflammatory activity scores and fibrosis scores of women <50 years were significantly lower than those of women ≥50 years and age‐matched males. In patients with score A0‐2 or F0‐3, women <50 years have lower NTCP expression level compared to women ≥50 years and age‐matched males. NTCP can promote the disease progression by affecting the viral load of HBV. The NTCP expression difference may be why male and postmenopausal women are more prone to disease progression than reproductive women.