Authors: Apolinario, A.¹; Diago, M.²; Lo Iacono, O.³; Lorente, R.¹; Pérez, C.²; Majano, P. L.¹; Clemente, G.¹; García-Monzón, C.¹

Source: Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Volume 19, Number 5, March 2004 , pp. 551-562(12)

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Abstract:

Summary Aims

: To determine the serum and intrahepatic levels of T-helper-1-associated chemokines in patients with chronic hepatitis C before, during and after peginterferon plus ribavirin combination therapy and to search for correlations with baseline characteristics of hepatitis C virus-related chronic liver disease and type of therapeutic response. Methods

: Serum chemokine levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and intrahepatic chemokine messenger RNA and protein levels were tested by ribonuclease protection assay and immunohistochemistry. Results

: Serum and intrahepatic chemokine levels were elevated in all patients with chronic hepatitis C and showed a marked decrease in patients who obtained a virological response vs. non-responders. Increased serum interferon-γ-inducible protein-10 levels at baseline in genotype 1-infected patients were significantly associated with greater degrees of intrahepatic inflammation and fibrosis (P = 0.0046 and P = 0.02, respectively) and with virological non-response (P = 0.01). In patients with genotype 1, basal serum interferon-γ-inducible protein-10 levels greater than 299 pg/mL identified 80% of non-responders and lower than 299 pg/mL identified 63% of responders. Conclusions

: Circulating and intrahepatic T-helper-1-associated chemokines are abnormally elevated in patients with chronic hepatitis C. Increased baseline serum interferon-γ-inducible protein-10 levels in genotype 1-infected patients are associated with virological non-response to peginterferon plus ribavirin combination therapy.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2036.2004.01872.x

Affiliations: 1: Instituto de Hepatología Clínica-Experimental y Trasplante Hepático, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón-Santa Cristina, Madrid, Spain 2: Sección de Hepatología, Hospital General Universitario de Valencia, Valencia, Spain 3: Department of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy

Publication date: 2004-03-01

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• By this author: Apolinario, A. ;  Diago, M. ;  Lo Iacono, O. ;  Lorente, R. ;  Pérez, C. ;  Majano, P. L. ;  Clemente, G. ;  García-Monzón, C.

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