title: Expression rate of cytokine mRNA in the liver of chronic hepatitis C: comparison with chronic hepatitis B.
abstract: This study was carried out to test the hypothesis that, in chronic hepatitis (CH), inflammatory processes, including viral replication, host immune response, and hepatocyte destruction, are regulated by a cytokine network in the liver. Expression of the mRNA of the cytokines IL1-beta, IL2, IL4, IL5, IL6, TNF-alpha, and IFN-gamma, the lymphocyte markers CD4 and CD8, and the HLA class I molecule, beta 2-microglobulin (B2MG) in the liver tissue of 20 CH(C) cases and 9 CH(B) patients was investigated by the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method. TNF-alpha, CD4, and B2MG mRNA were detected in 100% of cases of in both CH(B) and CH(C). The expression rates of IL1-beta, IL2, IL4, IFN-gamma, and CD8 mRNA were 80%, 40%, 25%, 40%, and 80% in CH(C) and 88.9%, 44.5%, 30%, 55.6%, and 100% in CH(B). IL6 mRNA was detected only in CH(B), in 22.2% of cases, IL5 mRNA was not detected in either CH(B) or CH(C). IL2, IL4, and IFN-gamma mRNA were expressed significantly more frequently in patients who had high serum ALT and a high histological activity index (HAI) score. There was no difference in cytokine expression between CH(B) and CH(C), except in IL6, suggesting the existence of a common immunopathogenesis for CH(B) and CH(C). In chronic viral hepatitis, IL1-beta and TNF-alpha appear to play a major role in immune responses and IL2, IL4, and IFN-gamma seem to be associated with increased cytotoxic T cell response.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Internal Medicine, Shimane Medical University, Japan.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fukuda
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Satoh
authors.forename: X T
authors.initials: XT
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Uchida
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kohge
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Akagi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fukumoto
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000235:genetics; D001483:Base Sequence; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002908:Chronic Disease; D016207:Cytokines / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000235:genetics; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000235:genetics; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000235:genetics; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000235:genetics; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000235:genetics; D008099:Liver / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D016207:Cytokines; D007375:Interleukin-1; D007376:Interleukin-2; D015850:Interleukin-6; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D000410:Alanine Transaminase