title: Impaired mitochondrial β-oxidation in patients with chronic hepatitis C: relation with viral load and insulin resistance.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hepatic steatosis is often seen in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CH-C). It is still unclear whether these patients have an impaired mitochondrial β-oxidation. In this study we assessed mitochondrial β-oxidation in CH-C patients by investigating ketogenesis during fasting.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study consisted of thirty patients with CH-C. Serum levels of insulin and hepatitis C virus (HCV) core protein were measured by chemiluminescence enzyme immunoassay. The subjects were then fasted, and venous blood samples were drawn 12 h and 15 h after the start of fasting. The levels of blood ketone bodies were measured by an enzymatic cycling method. The rate of change in total ketone body concentration was compared with that in eight healthy volunteers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The rate of change in total ketone body concentration between 12 h and 15 h after the start of fasting was significantly lower in CH-C patients than in healthy volunteers (129.9% (8.5-577.3%) vs. 321.6% (139.6-405.4%); P <0.01). The rate of change in total ketone body concentration in patients with a serum level of HCV core protein of 10000 fmol/L or higher was significantly lower than in patients with a level of less than 10000 fmol/L (54.8% (8.5-304.3%) vs. 153.6% (17.1-577.3%); P <0.05). The rate of change in total ketone body concentration in patients with a homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) of 2.5 or higher was significantly lower than in patients with a HOMA-IR of less than 2.5 (56.7% (8.5-186.7%) vs. 156.4% (33.3-577.3%); P <0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that mitochondrial β-oxidation is impaired, possibly due to HCV infection in patients with CH-C.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Faculty of Medicine, Yamagata University, Yamagata 990-9585, Japan. s.chikako@med.id.yamagata-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Chikako
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Takafumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Misawa
authors.forename: Tomohiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Katsumi
authors.forename: Kyoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tomita
authors.forename: Rika
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ishii
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Haga
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okumoto
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nishise
authors.forename: Hisayoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Yoshiyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ueno
authors.forename: Sumio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kawata
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002331:Carnitine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000097:blood; D005215:Fasting; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000097:blood*; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000097:blood / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000097:blood* / Q000821:virology; D006706:Homeostasis; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D007657:Ketone Bodies / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D014758:Viral Core Proteins / Q000097:blood; D019562:Viral Load; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D007328:Insulin; D007657:Ketone Bodies; D014758:Viral Core Proteins; C116917:acylcarnitine; C069130:nucleocapsid protein, Hepatitis C virus; D002331:Carnitine