Correlation of Mac-2 Binding Protein Glycosylation Isomer (M2BPGi) with Liver Transient Elastography Results in Evaluating Liver Fibrosis in Chronic Hepatitis B Patients

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a serious health problem in the world, including in Indonesia. Transient elastography (TE) is now regarded as a reliable surrogate marker for grading the severity of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. The Mac-2 binding protein of glycosylation isomer (M2BPGi) is a novel non-invasive serum biomarker for liver fibrosis staging in various liver diseases including CHB. This study aims to evaluate the correlation of M2BPGi and liver stiffness (LS), measured through TE, in predicting liver fibrosis among CHB patients.Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Dr. Hasan Sadikinl General Hospital Bandung between September 2021–January 2022 on patients diagnosed with CHB based on clinical and biochemical examination. The subjects underwent TE examination using Fibroscan® and M2BPGi levels were determined with an automated immunoassay analyzer HISCL-800, Sysmex, Japan. Statistical analysis was conducted using the Spearman rank correlation method with a significance value of p 0.05.Results: A total of 119 CHB (M:F = 66:53, median age 43 years) patients were consecutively recruited. The median M2BPGi level was 1.04 COI (0.74–1.59) and the median of LS was 7.3 (5.6–12.5). M2BPGi had a moderate and significant correlation with LS (r = 0.525; p 0.001). Median M2BPGi values in each fibrosis stage were 0.89 COI in F0-F1, 0.88 in F2, 1.61 in F3, and 2.24 in F4 (p 0.001).Conclusion: This study revealed a moderate positive correlation between serum M2BPGi level and LS in CHB patients.