Selective granulocyte and monocyte apheresis as a new adjunct to enhance the efficacy of interferon-alpha + ribavirin in patients with high plasma hepatitis C virus.
OBJECTIVE
Selective granulocyte and monocyte/macrophage adsorptive apheresis is to increase the turnover of infected leucocytes and has increased CD4+ T cells, which are necessary for actions of interferon-alpha on hepatitis C virus. Therefore, granulocyte and monocyte apheresis was to enhance the efficacy of interferon + ribavirin.


METHODS
Fifteen patients, 12 had interferon resistant hepatitis C virus and 3 were interferon naive. Hepatitis C virus genotype was 1b in 11 and 2a in 4. The mean plasma HCV-RNA was 728.3 kU/mL and alanine aminotransferase was 107.5 U/L. Granulocyte and monocyte apheresis was with the Adacolumn, which contains carriers that adsorb granulocytes and monocytes/macrophages. After five consecutive granulocyte and monocyte apheresis sessions over 5 days, interferon daily 6 million units for 4 weeks, then three times/week for 20 weeks+ribavirin (600-800 mg per patient per day) were given and followed for another 24 weeks.


RESULTS
During granulocyte and monocyte apheresis, plasma HCV-RNA transiently fell by up to 55%. Similarly, incubation of blood with the Adacolumn carriers caused a significant fall in HCV-RNA. Four patients were unavailable for efficacy evaluation. In the other 11, alanine aminotransferase normalised and at 11 weeks, plasma HCV-RNA was negative; six of these (55%) maintained their remission during the follow up.


CONCLUSIONS
Granulocyte and monocyte apheresis appears to deplete extra-hepatic hepatitis C virus reservoirs and generate active complement opsonins, which contribute to hepatitis C virus killing. Additional mechanism(s) are also likely and need to be elucidated in future studies with larger cohort of patients.
Sawada
K
K
Department of Gastroenterology, Fujimoto Hospital Medicine, Osaka, Japan. f-sawada@leaf.ocn.ne.jp
Kashiwamura
S
S
Okamura
H
H
Ohnishi
K
K
Fukunaga
K
K
Hirata
I
I
Saniabadi
A
A
D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006098:Granulocytes; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D007937:Leukapheresis / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009000:Monocytes; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D019562:Viral Load
D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D012367:RNA, Viral; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012254:Ribavirin; D000410:Alanine Transaminase