Clinical role of serum and tissue matrix metalloprotease-9 expression in chronic HCV patients treated with pegylated IFN-alpha2b and ribavirin.
In chronic hepatitis C, the main goal of antiviral therapies is to block viral replication and to slow down the development of fibrosis. In this study, a decrease in matrix metalloprotease-9 (MMP-9) but not of MMP-2 and the tissue inhibitors of MMP (TIMP-1 and TMP-2) was observed in the plasma of chronic hepatitis C patients at the end of the follow-up period after ribavirin plus interferon-alpha2b (PEG-IFN-alpha2b) treatment in sustained virologic responders but not in nonresponders. Consistently, similar results are observed by immunofluorescence and real-time PCR in tissue specimens collected before and after therapy from the same patients in whom both Kupffer cells and hepatocytes express MMP-9. In conclusion, our results show that MMP-9 decreases in responder patients both in the serum and in the liver after therapy. Further studies are needed to investigate this new possible therapeutic activity of PEG-IFN-alpha2b.
Marinosci
Felice
F
Department of Internal Medicine, Immunology, and Infectious Diseases, Section of Internal Medicine, University of Bari Medical School, Bari, Italy.
Bergamini
Carlo
C
Fransvea
Emilia
E
Napoli
Nicola
N
Maurel
Patrick
P
Dentico
Pietro
P
Antonaci
Salvatore
S
Giannelli
Gianluigi
G
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology; D008297:Male; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D012254:Ribavirin; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9; C417083:peginterferon alfa-2b