Assessing the Role of Gut Microbiota in Modulating Hepatitis B Infection in Mice

Take a control mouse with a normal gut microbiota and an experimental mouse with depleted gut microbiota. The depletion compromises the integrity of the gut barrier.

This enables bacteria to translocate through the blood vessel into the liver tissue.

Inject both mice with the hepatitis B virus or HBV plasmid to induce an HBV infection in the liver tissue.

In the control mouse, the T cell detects an infected liver cell through the interaction of its receptors with viral antigens, and produces cytotoxins to induce cell death.

In the experimental mouse, bacteria translocated from the gut release metabolites that interact with the T cell.

This interaction suppresses T cell activation, which in turn prevents them from clearing the infected liver cells.

Quantify various HBV markers to confirm prolonged viral infection in the gut microbiota-depleted mouse.