Efficacy and safety of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and tenofovir alafenamide fumarate in preventing HBV vertical transmission of high maternal viral load

Background Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a significant global health problem and > 42–52% of patients are infected during perinatal period. Tenofovir alafenamide fumarate (TAF) and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) have been widely recognized as the main compounds used for antiviral treatment of hepatitis B. The present study evaluated the efficacy and safety of TAF in reducing HBV vertical transmission. Methods A total of 72 pregnant women, who met the inclusion criteria, were randomly divided into the TDF (300 mg/day, n = 36) and TAF (25 mg/day, n = 36) groups. Clinical and laboratory data were analyzed and compared between the two groups. Results No significant differences in alanine aminotransferase, total bilirubin, blood creatinine and blood urea nitrogen levels were noted between the two groups after treatment. The serum HBV DNA viral load and hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) levels of the two groups were significantly decreased following treatment, whereas the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant. The levels of urine retinol-binding protein and β2-microglobulin had no significant change after TAF treatment ( p > 0.05), but increased significantly after TDF treatment ( p