Roles of GCK mRNA and GLUT2 in abnormal glucose metabolism among patients with severe chronic hepatitis B

Objective To evaluate the expression of glucokinase (GCK) mRNA and glucose transporter-2 (GLUT2) in the liver tissues of patients with severe chronic hepatitis B and to preliminarily investigate their roles in abnormal glucose metabolism among patients with severe chronic hepatitis B.Methods The expression of GCK mRNA in the liver tissues of 10 patients with severe chronic hepatitis B and 10 patients with liver cirrhosis (Child-Turcotte-Pugh grade A) was evaluated by RT-PCR.The expression of GLUT2 in the liver tissues of the above 10 patients with severe chronic hepatitis B and 10 normal controls was evaluated by immunohistochemistry.The t-test was used for mean comparison between groups;the Pearson correlation test was used for correlation analysis.Results The expression level of GCK mRNA in liver tissue was significantly lower in the patients with severe chronic hepatitis B than in those with liver cirrhosis (1.13±0.11 vs 1.44±0.14, P<0.05) .In the patients with severe chronic hepatitis B, the level of GCK mRNA in liver tissue had a positive correlation with the oxidation rate of carbohydrates (r=0.845, P<0.01) but="" it="" had="" no="" correlation="" with="" fasting="" blood="" glucose="" r="0.03," p="">0.05) .The expression of GLUT2 was reduced in the liver tissues of patients with severe chronic hepatitis B, and it was distributed in the hepatic cells around pseudolobuli (nodules) .Conclusion The level of GCK mRNA is closely related to the oxidation of carbohydrates.The decreased expression of GCK mRNA and GLUT2 is one of the mechanisms of abnormal glucose metabolism in patients with severe chronic hepatitis B.