Effect of fibronectin on HBV infection in primary human fetal hepatocytes in vitro

Abstract

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of fibronectin (FN) on primary cultured human fetal hepatocytes infected by hepatitisB virus (HBV) invitro. Human fetal hepatocytes infected by HBV were cultured on culture dishes coated with FN invitro. HBsAg and HBeAg in supernatants were detected by ELISA, HBcAg in nuclei by immunohistochemistry, HBV DNA by fluorescent quantitative PCR and covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) by nested PCR. The results were compared with cells cultured on dishes that were not coated with FN. Positivity for HBsAg and HBeAg in supernatants appeared from day5 on the non-coated dishes, while positivity for HBsAg and HBeAg appeared from day1 on the coated dishes. Positivity for HBcAg in the nuclei on the non‑coated dishes was displayed from day2 with a positive rate of 15%, while positivity for HBcAg on the coated dishes was displayed from day1 with a positive rate of >90%. HBV DNA in cells on the non-coated dishes was detected from day4, while that on the coated dishes was detected from day1. The non-coated dishes were positive for cccDNA from day8, while the coated dishes were positive from day2. FN coating is capable of accelerating HBV infection in primary cultured fetal hepatocytes invitro, increasing the duration of HBV infection and the number of infected cells.