Pre-S proteins in hepatitis b

Abstract
Two reactive sequences of the pre‐S regions of hepatitis B surface antigen were synthesized chemically and used in micro‐ELISAs for the assay of pre‐S1 and pre‐S2 antigens in serum from patients with acute and chronic hepatitis B. Pre‐S1 antigen correlated well with the presence of HBV‐DNA and was no longer detectable on cessation of viral replication, after natural recovery and after successful treatment with alpha‐interferon. Pre‐S2 proteins were also lost after treatment with alpha‐interferon. The results show that the assay of pre‐S1 and pre‐S2 proteins in serum provides additional useful markers for assessing patients with acute and chronic hepatitis B infection and for monitoring the response to treatment with interferon.