[Cytokine system in patients with chronic hepatitis C during treatment with interferon-alfa].
OBJECTIVE
To study changes in serum levels of interleukine-1 beta (IL-1b), IL-6, TNF-alpha (TNFa), HM-HMF and TFR-1 beta (TFR-1b), expression of surface antigens CD14 and CD95 on blood monocytes from patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) treated with interferon-alpha (INFa).


METHODS
Examinations covered 25 CHC patients and 25 healthy controls. Concentrations of proinflammatory cytokines and growth factors in blood serum were measured with ELISA (kits by "R&D systems", USA). CD14 and CD95 antigen expression on monocytes of venous blood were studied using flow cytoflowmeter (Partes, USA) before and after a 12-week course of INFa.


RESULTS
Before INFa treatment CHC patients had significantly elevated serum concentrations of TNFa, HM-KSF and TFR-1b. Coexpression of antigens CD14+ and CD95+ was found on 61% of blood monocytes. Three-month INFa treatment lowered levels of TNFa, GM-KSF and CD95+ expression on monocytes as well as TFR-1b concentration in the serum which correlated with a positive trend in the standard clinicolaboratory and virusological indices in the examinees.


CONCLUSIONS
Changes in serum indices of proinflammatory cytokines and growth factors, in expression of CD95 on blood monocytes from CHC patients treated with INFa show an important role of cytokines system activation and mechanisms of programmed cell death in pathogenesis of chronic HCV infection.
Ivashkin
V T
VT
Mammaev
S N
SN
Lukina
E A
EA
Lugovskaia
S A
SA
Shul'pekova
Iu O
IuO
Levina
A A
AA
Pochtar'
M E
ME
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000097:blood; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D008233:Lymphotoxin-alpha / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009000:Monocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D019014:fas Receptor / Q000097:blood
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D015704:CD4 Antigens; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D007375:Interleukin-1; D015850:Interleukin-6; D008233:Lymphotoxin-alpha; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D019014:fas Receptor