Effect of interferon therapy on Japanese chronic hepatitis C virus patients with anti-liver/kidney microsome autoantibody type 1.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of anti-liver/kidney microsome autoantibody type 1 (anti-LKM-1) among hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected Japanese patients at various stages (chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma), and to assess the influence of anti-LKM-1 on interferon therapy.


METHODS
A total of 390 serum samples from 215 HCV-infected patients with chronic hepatitis (HCV-CH), 81 HCV-infected patients with liver cirrhosis (HCV-LC), and 94 HCV-HCC infected patients were subjected to examination. Ninety-one HBsAg-positive patients and 137 healthy subjects served as controls. Anti-liver/kidney microsome autoantibody type 1 was determined by using a newly developed ELISA using recombinant cytochrome P450 IID6 as the antigen.


RESULTS
Anti-liver/kidney microsome autoantibody type 1 was detected in six of the 390 (1.5%) chronic HCV-infected patients (four were HCV-CH and two were HCV-LC); in contrast, it was not detected in control groups. Among the 110 HCV-CH patients treated with interferon (IFN), four were positive for anti-LKM-1. No change in anti-LKM-1 immunoreactivity from negative to positive during interferon therapy was observed. Moreover, no increase in the serum alanine aminotransferase level was observed in these four patients with anti-LKM-1.


CONCLUSIONS
Our study indicates that: (i) anti-LKM-1 does not aggravate the liver disease associated with HCV infection; and (ii) no change in anti-LKM-1 immunoreactivity from negative to positive or no aggravations of liver dysfunction were observed among HCV-CH patients during the IFN therapy for Japanese patients with liver disease.
Iijima
Y
Y
Gastroenterology Section, Nagoya Daini Red Cross Hospital, Nagoya, Japan.
Kato
T
T
Miyakawa
H
H
Ogino
M
M
Mizuno
M
M
Sugihara
K
K
Ando
T
T
Fujiwara
K
K
Orito
E
E
Ueda
R
R
Mizokami
M
M
D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000150:complications; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007668:Kidney / Q000276:immunology*; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D008861:Microsomes / Q000276:immunology*; D008862:Microsomes, Liver / Q000276:immunology*; D008875:Middle Aged
D001323:Autoantibodies; D016898:Interferon-alpha