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- Title
Cytokine profile of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with different outcomes of hepatitis C virus infection.
- Authors
Gramenzi, A.; Andreone, P.; Loggi, E.; Foschi, F. G.; Cursaro, C.; Margotti, M.; Biselli, M.; Bernardi, M.
- Abstract
The relationship between the balance of helper T-cell type 1 (Th1) or type 2 (Th2) cytokines and the clinical course of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is unclear. We evaluated Th1 [interleukin (IL)-2, interferon-gamma (IFN- γ)] and Th2 cytokine (IL-4, IL-10) and 2,5-oligoadenylate synthetase (OAS, an IFN-induced antiviral protein) production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 10 healthy anti-HCV-positive individuals (group A), 10 HCV-RNA-positive with persistently normal alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels (group B), 10 HCV-RNA-positive with abnormal ALT (group C) and 10 uninfected healthy controls. IL-2 production was significantly increased in group B when compared with all the other groups. No difference was found for IFN- γ. IL-4 was significantly higher in group C than in both group B ( P = 0.0006) and controls ( P = 0.004). Compared with controls, IL-10 was significantly decreased in group A ( P = 0.013) and B ( P = 0.004). The production of 2,5-OAS was significantly higher in group B than in A ( P = 0.04) and in C ( P = 0.004). Finally, in all HCV-RNA-positive patients, a significant correlation was found between ALT and both IL-2 ( r = −0.78; P = 0.0008) and IL-4 ( r = 0.75; P = 0.0008). In conclusion: (i) subjects who cleared HCV showed a cytokine profile similar to controls; (ii) a preferential shift towards a Th1 profile seems associated with a more favourable clinical outcome in chronic hepatitis C; and (iii) a prevalent Th2 profile seems implicated in HCV pathogenesis and severity of liver disease.
- Subjects
T cells; CYTOKINES; HEPATITIS C; VIRAL hepatitis; AMINOTRANSFERASES; PROTEINS
- Publication
Journal of Viral Hepatitis, 2005, Vol 12, Issue 5, p525
- ISSN
1352-0504
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/j.1365-2893.2005.00634.x