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Serum levels of soluble immune factors and pathogenesis of chronic hepatitis C, and their relation to therapeutic response to interferon-α

  • Liver: Infectious, Inflammatory, And Metabolic Disorders
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Abstract

To test the role of immune reactivity in the pathogenesis of hepatitis C, serum soluble immune factors were measured in a cohort of 57 patients with chronic hepatitis C, and in 20 healthy subjects. Levels of interleukin-1β, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukin-6 were detected in some, but not all, HCV patients and were in general undetectable in healthy subjects. Patients had significantly higher concentrations of neopterin (P=0.0026), β2-microglobulin (P=0.046), soluble interleukin-2 receptor (P=0.021), and soluble CD8 (P<0.039), than healthy controls; conversely, interferon-γ levels were significantly lower (P=0.023). Significant correlations were observed between β2-microglobulin concentration and Knodell's index (r=0.638,P=0.00045), the score of piecemeal necrosis (r=0.572,P=0.0023), and the degree of fibrosis (r=0.527,P=0.0056). Interleukin-2 levels correlated significantly with Knodell's index (r=0.412,P=0.037), and the degree of lobular cytolysis (r=0.389,P=0.048). According to therapeutic outcome, pretreatment levels of soluble CD8 were only significantly elevated (P=0.042) in patients with a sustained biochemical response. On interferon-α treatment, the levels of β2-microglobulin, neopterin, and soluble interleukin-2 receptor increased significantly (P<0.05), irrespective of therapy outcome. In summary, HCV patients have an altered immune reactivity that might play a role in the pathogenesis of chronic hepatitis C, and might influence the therapeutic outcome to interferon-γ.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hepatology Unit, Fundación Jiménez Díaz, Avda. Reyes Católicos, 2, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    Juan Antonio Quiroga PhD, Julio Martin BSc, Margarita Pardo MD &  Vicente Carreño MD

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  1. Juan Antonio Quiroga PhD
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  2. Julio Martin BSc
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  3. Margarita Pardo MD
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  4. Vicente Carreño MD
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Additional information

J.A.Q. and M.P. are the recipients of grants from “Fundación para el Estudio de las Hepatitis Virales.” J.M. is a research fellow of the “Fundación C. Rábago.”

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Quiroga, J.A., Martin, J., Pardo, M. et al. Serum levels of soluble immune factors and pathogenesis of chronic hepatitis C, and their relation to therapeutic response to interferon-α. Digest Dis Sci 39, 2485–2496 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02087671

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02087671

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