Clinical effectiveness of combined Bifidobacterium live bacteria preparation and entecavir therapy in the management of Hepatitis B cirrhosis

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the efficacy of combining Bifidobacterium live bacteria preparation with entecavir in the treatment of hepatitis B cirrhosis and its effect on cytokines and liver function. Methods: 88 patients with HBV-induced cirrhosis admitted to Qinzhou People’s Hospital, Qinzhou, China between January 2021 and January 2023 were divided into control and study groups with 44 patients each. Control group received entecavir, while study group received Bifidobacterium live bacteria preparation in addition to entecavir. Clinical treatment outcomes, liver function, liver fibrosis, immune function, and inflammatory cytokine indices were compared between the two groups. Results: There was a significant increase in total effective rate of treatment in study group (95.45 %) compared to control group (79.55 %; p < 0.05). After treatment, the study group showed significantly lower levels of alanine aminotransaminase (ALT), aspartate aminotransaminase (AST), total bilirubin (TBIL), hyaluronic acid (HA), laminin (LN), N-terminal propeptide of type III procollagen (PIIINP), and type IV collagen (IV-C), and higher levels of CD4+ and CD4+/CD8+ compared to control group (p < 0.05). Furthermore, study group exhibited significantly lower levels of IL-6, TNF-α, and HS-CRP after treatment compared to control group (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The combined use of Bifidobacterium live bacteria preparation and entecavir in treating HBV-induced cirrhosis demonstrates significant clinical improvement. This combined approach effectively enhances liver function, improves immune response reduces inflammation and liver fibrosis. Hence, in future studies, efforts will be directed towards improving absorption and reducing the metabolism/excretion of the drug to validate these findings.