2.4.3. HBV

Confluent HepRG cells cultured in 48-well plates were di fferentiated for two weeks. Medium was removed and cells were left untreated, or CPXV012 peptide in medium containing 0.1% DMSO was added at the concentrations indicated. Medium containing 0.1% DMSO was used as vehicle control. Cells were infected with HBV (MOI 200) and incubated for 16 h. Medium was removed, cells were washed three times with PBS, fresh medium was added, and cultures were incubated for another 12 days with a medium change every three days. Thereafter, the supernatant was collected after centrifugation to remove cellular debris (5 min, 350× *g*) and HBeAg was quantified using commercial immunoassays as described [20]. HBV DNA was extracted from the supernatant using the BioSprint 96 One-For-All Vet Kit (Qiagen) and was quantified by qPCR.
