title: Change of the host immune response during the early phase of interferon therapy correlates with its long-term efficacy for chronic hepatitis C.
abstract: Host immunomodulation through T cell action may play a pivotal role in determining the response to interferon (IFN) therapy for chronic hepatitis C. We examined whether the early changes in the host immune response were helpful in predicting the final effect in 31 patients with chronic hepatitis C receiving IFN. IFN treatment significantly reduced the serum levels of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and E-selectin, and significantly increased those of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and interleukin-2 receptor alpha (IL-2Ralpha) in the first 7-10 days. Serum levels of these immunological parameters did not correlate with serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) when evaluated with either absolute values or relative values (over pre-treatment value), implying that our results are not just secondary to improvement in hepatic inflammation. The relative changes (Delta) in these parameters reflected the long-term response to IFN therapy, i.e. the lower the change, the more effective the therapy was. Among these serum parameters, DeltaIL-2Ralpha within the first 7-10 days of IFN treatment was the most useful parameter in predicting the response to therapy. In conclusion, a dynamic immunomodulation during the early phase of IFN therapy may determine the subsequent long-term response to IFN therapy.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Internal Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, 1-1 Iseigaoka, Yahatanishi, Kitakyushu, 807-8555, Fukuoka, Japan
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Momosaka
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Harada
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mine
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tsuchiya
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Okubo
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Eto