Background/aims: Among the reported interactions between ethanol and hepatitis B virus (HBV), studies of transgenic mice have suggested an effect of ethanol on the secretion of viral envelope proteins.
Methods: We further investigated these interactions in vitro by determining HBs antigen levels and performing northern blots of viral mRNA in human cell culture (HepG2 HBV positive cells) exposed for 3 to 12 days to various concentrations of ethanol.
Results: In cultures exposed to 200 mM ethanol, HBs antigen concentrations increased in the medium (p < 0.05) after 3 days as Pre-S1 and Pre-S2 protein concentrations. This increase was not specific, as albumin and ferritin increased in the same proportions. Ethanol also increased the HBs antigen concentration in the cells (p < 0.05), whereas levels of viral mRNA encoding surface proteins were unaffected.
Conclusions: These findings show that short-term ethanol exposure in vitro can induce HBs antigen overexpression via a post-transcriptional mechanism.