Ezetimibe blocks hepatitis B virus infection after virus uptake into hepatocytes

[stef2011]

Source

Institute of Virology, Technische Universität München / Helmholtz
Zentrum München, Trogerstrasse, 30, 81675 Munich, Germany.

Abstract

Current treatment of chronic Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection mainly
targets viral replication in hepatocytes and leads to curing only in
exceptional cases. Despite their potential to improve therapeutic
success, no drugs interfering with early infection steps of the
hepatotropic pathogen HBV are available to date. Recently, entry of the
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been shown to occur along hepatic
cholesterol uptake pathways and ezetimibe, a drug which blocks this
lipid transport, has been shown to inhibit HCV infection. We here
investigated the effect of ezetimibe on HBV infection using
differentiated HepaRG-cells as a cell-culture infection model. Treatment
with ezetimibe inhibited establishment of intrahepatic cccDNA and
expression of viral replication markers when cells were infected with
HBV virions, while we observed no effect when the HBV viral genome was
transduced via an adenoviral vector. Our data suggest that modulating
hepatic cholesterol uptake by ezetimibe inhibits early HBV infection and
that ezetimibe sensitive lipid transport pathways represent new targets
for antiviral therapy in HBV infection.

[stef2011]

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166354212002884

here s the link to the abstract with som e charts, full article is not free

[stef2011]

that s probably a study on patients already sick with cardiovascular events and arteries.it is like tenofovir story with kidneys, studies on hiv patient are not relevant to hbv patients

we just have to look for effect on cccdna/hbsag if any and refer to studies on healthy subjects for sides effects, not studies on sick patients

[StephenCastlecrag]

According to Wikipedia, Ezetimibe has side effect - "it increased the thickness of artery walls and caused more major cardiovascular events"

[stef2011]

do you think it worths a try on antivirals therapy or antivirals plus interferon since this drug has pratically no sides?

http://archive.mail-list.com/hbv_research/message/20121227.011814.a4604094.en.html

Ezetimibe blocks hepatitis B virus infection after virus uptake into
hepatocytes.

We here investigated the effect of ezetimibe on HBV infection using
differentiated HepaRG-cells as a cell-culture infection model. Treatment
with ezetimibe inhibited establishment of intrahepatic cccDNA and
expression of viral replication markers when cells were infected with
HBV virions, while we observed no effect when the HBV viral genome was
transduced via an adenoviral vector. Our data suggest that modulating
hepatic cholesterol uptake by ezetimibe inhibits early HBV infection and
that ezetimibe sensitive lipid transport pathways represent new targets
for antiviral therapy in HBV infection.

[stef2011]

did anybody ever try this cholesterol drug on tdf or etv therapy?

although this is in vitro we can check ourself if reinfection under nnucs is blocked or lowered and if any effect on hbsag