Impaired lipopolysaccharide-induced interleukin-1-beta production in patients with anti-hepatitis C virus antibody-positive chronic liver disease.
The aim of our study was to determine the role of cytokine interleukin-1-beta (IL-1-beta) in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Twenty-eight patients with chronic HCV infection were studied and compared with 18 healthy subjects. IL-1-beta levels were measured with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in plasma and in supernatants of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) incubated alone or in the presence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). No IL-1-beta was found in plasma or unstimulated PBMC supernatants. The mean LPS-induced IL-1-beta production was 20.0 +/- 4.0 ng/ml in patients with chronic HCV infection and 29.4 +/- 3.7 ng/ml in the control group. The patients had significantly lower levels of LPS-induced IL-1-beta than the control group (p < 0.00001). No difference in LPS-induced IL-1-beta production was found in patients in relation to the histologic diagnosis (p > 0.05). There was no correlation between LPS-induced IL-1-beta production and serum alanine aminotransferase levels in patients with chronic HCV infection (r = 0.37, p > 0.05). Although limited to a small number of cases, our results suggest that LPS-induced IL-1-beta production by PBMC is impaired in patients with chronic HCV infection.
Ozyilkan
E
E
Dept. of Internal Medicine, Hacettepe University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
Tatar
G
G
Hacibektaşoglu
A
A
Kayhan
B
B
Telatar
H
H
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology*; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D006801:Humans; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000502:physiology; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000378:metabolism; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D007375:Interleukin-1; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D000410:Alanine Transaminase