Favorable Response to Long-term Nucleos(t)ide Analogue Therapy in HBeAg-positive Patients with High Serum Fucosyl-Agalactosyl IgG.

Aberrant IgG glycosylation is a feature of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection but its effect on a long-term efficacy of antiviral therapy has never been addressed. After a screening of 1,085 patients, 132 eligible HBV e antigen (HBeAg)-positive and 101 HBeAg-negative patients with anti-HBV nucleos(t)ide analogue monotherapy were enrolled with on-treatment follow-ups for at least one year. IgG1 N-glycome was profiled using mass spectrometry and evaluated for its relevance in treatment responses.