HCV-RNA assay in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in relation to IFN therapy.
Hepatitis C virus RNA (HCV-RNA) was serially assayed in the serum and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of 10 patients with chronic hepatitis C who underwent interferon (IFN) therapy, and whether detection of HCV-RNA from PBMC serves as an index of the response of chronic hepatitis C to IFN therapy was evaluated. HCV-RNA was assayed by reversed transcription and polymerase chain reaction using the 5'-noncoding region as a primer. IFN therapy was effective in 3 patients and ineffective in the other 7 patients. HCV-RNA disappeared from the serum during and immediately after the IFN therapy in all 3 patients in whom the therapy was effective and in 3 of 7 patients in whom the therapy was ineffective. HCV-RNA disappeared from PBMC in all 3 patients in whom the therapy was effective, but PBMC HCV-RNA remained positive in 6 of the 7 patients in whom the therapy was ineffective, and the serum HCV-RNA became positive again in 5 of these 6 patients after 6 months. The disappearance of HCV-RNA from PBMC was associated with long-term stabilization of the serum alanine aminotransferase value, so HCV-RNA assay in PBMC is considered to be useful as a prognostic marker of chronic hepatitis C after IFN therapy.
First Department of Internal Medicine, Yamaguchi University School of Medicine, Ube, Japan.
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Okuda
D000328:Adult; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000097:blood / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000097:blood / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000382:microbiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D016898:Interferon-alpha; D012367:RNA, Viral; D000410:Alanine Transaminase