title: Long-term follow-up of chronic hepatitis C patients treated with oral lactoferrin for 12 months.
abstract: BACKGROUND/AIMS: Bovine lactoferrin (bLF) has been shown to prevent the infection of cultured hepatocytes by hepatitis C virus (HCV). The present study attempted to clarify the effects of long-term administration of bLF on serum parameters, including immunomodulatory cytokines, in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC). METHODS: Sixty-three CHC patients were randomly assigned into 2 groups. At an oral dose of 600 mg/day, bLF was administered for 12 months to 36 patients (bLF group), while no bLF was given to the remaining 27 patients (control group. Serum levels of alanine aminotransferase, HCV-RNA, IL-10, and IL-18 were evaluated, as well as CD4-positive T cell subsets in the peripheral blood. RESULTS: The serum IL-18 level was increased by bLF administration, but not in the control group. After 3 months of bLF treatment, it was significantly higher than before bLF administration, but it decreased gradually thereafter. The percentage of interferon (IFN)-gamma+ and IL-4- (Th1) cells in the peripheral blood increased along with the serum IL-18 level, although the change was not statistically significant. The other parameters did not change significantly during the study period in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that oral administration of bLF to CHC patients for up to 3 months can produce a Th1-cytokine dominant environment in the peripheral blood that favors the eradication of HCV by IFN therapy.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Internal Medicine, Toho University School of Medicine, 6-11-1, Omori-nishi, Ota-ku, 143, Tokyo, Japan
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ishii
authors.forename: Naoko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Takamura
authors.forename: Mie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shinohara
authors.forename: Noritaka
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wakui
authors.forename: Hirokazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Yasukiyo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sumino
authors.forename: Yasukazu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ohmoto
authors.forename: Susumu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Teraguchi
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamauchi