Metabolomic Analysis Identifies Altered Amino Acid Metabolism in HBeAg-positive Chronic Hepatitis B Patients

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection poses a substantial public health burden worldwide. Although pegylated-interferon α (PEG-IFNα) and nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) are available for treating chronic hepatitis B (CHB), achieving HBeAg seroconversion is still not guaranteed. Moreover, indicators to identify responders and predict the likelihood of HBeAg seroconversion are lacking in the management of HBeAg-positive CHB. Our study is the first metabolomic analysis focusing on the metabolic characteristics of patients with HBeAg-positive CHB undergoing long-term antiviral therapy.