High levels of serum interleukin-10 are associated with a poor response to interferon treatment in patients with chronic hepatitis C.
BACKGROUND
It still remains unclear whether some immunologic factors affect the response to interferon treatment. We therefore examined whether the pretreatment levels of serum interleukin-10 and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 can be associated with the response to interferon treatment in patients with chronic hepatitis C.


METHODS
One hundred and two patients with chronic hepatitis C treated with interferon alpha-2b were divided into three groups on the basis of patterns of biochemical interferon response. Pretreatment levels of serum interleukin-10 and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) typing was performed with a serologic enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.


RESULTS
For patients with serotype I (n = 76) the numbers of sustained, transient, and non-responders were 12 (16%), 43 (56%), and 21 (28%), respectively. In serotype-I patients the pretreatment levels of serum interleukin-10 in non-responders were significantly higher than those in sustained or transient responders, although no significant differences were observed in HCV RNA quantity between them. There were no significant differences in the pretreatment levels of serum soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 among the three groups.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that high serum interleukin-10 levels may be related to a poor response to interferon treatment in serotype-I patients with chronic hepatitis C.
Kuzushita
N
N
First Dept. of Medicine, Osaka University School of Medicine, Japan.
Hayashi
N
N
Katayama
K
K
Kanto
T
T
Oshita
M
M
Hagiwara
H
H
Kasahara
A
A
Fusamoto
H
H
Kamada
T
T
D000328:Adult; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000097:blood; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000097:blood*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012703:Serotyping
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D015415:Biomarkers; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D012367:RNA, Viral; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1; D016753:Interleukin-10