Influence of interferon and nucleos(t)ide analogues on HBV cccDNA and functional cure of chronic hepatitis B / 临床肝胆病杂志

ABSTRACT

At present, interferon (IFN) and nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) remain the most important methods for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B in clinical practice, but neither of them can effectively eliminate the virus and cure hepatitis B. As the template for HBV transcription and replication, HBV covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) persistently exists in the nucleus in the form of minichromosome and is considered the most important reason for chronic and refractory HBV infection. Since it is hard to completely eliminate cccDNA, functional cure of chronic hepatitis B through sustained silencing of cccDNA has become a major goal of clinical and basic research in recent years. This article reviews the influence of current treatment methods on cccDNA, the factors regulating the amount and activity of cccDNA, and the key obstacles to eradication of cccDNA pool, with perspectives of cccDNA research towards a functional cure of chronic hepatitis B.