Demethylation of tumor necrosis factor-α converting enzyme predicts poor prognosis in acute-on-chronic hepatitis B liver failure.

Summary Background and objective Tumor necrosis factor-α converting enzyme (TACE) has been demonstrated to be involved in liver inflammation. However, the significance of TACE methylation in acute-on-chronic hepatitis B liver failure (ACHBLF) has not been demonstrated. This study aims to evaluate TACE methylation status in ACHBLF and determine its predictive value for prognosis. Methods Forty-five patients with ACHBLF, 80 with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and 54 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled. The methylation status of TACE promoter was determined by methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction. The TACE mRNA expression was determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The plasma levels of TACE, TNF-α, sTNFRI, sTNFRII were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results TACE methylation was significantly lower in patients with ACHBLF than those with CHB ( χ 2  = 24.69, P χ 2  = 35.93, P χ 2  = 4.03, P r  = −0.68; P P P P P Conclusion This study showed that demethylation of TACE promoter occurred in ACHBLF and might serve as a potential prognostic marker.