Outcomes of Interferon/Ribavirin Therapy in Patients with HCV Defined by Expression of Plasma Soluble Human Leukocyte Antigen-G but Not IL-37.
BACKGROUND Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection leads to life-threatening complications worldwide. Immunomodulation signals the response to virus clearance. The immune-suppressive molecule human leukocyte antigen-G (HLA-G) has been shown to function in inhibiting both innate and adaptive immune responses. The objective of this study was to investigate the expression of HLA-G and IL-37 in sustained virological response (SVR) and non-SVR HCV-positive patients before and after complete treatment with a combination of pegylated interferon (IFN) and ribavirin (RBV). MATERIAL AND METHODS Our study included 132 chronic hepatitis C patents who received combined therapy with IFN-a and RBV. Both SVR and non-SVR patients were included. The end-of-treatment response was deﬁned as undetectable HCV RNA at week 48. Patients with end-of-treatment response were detected by HCV RNA at 24 weeks after therapy. The expression levels of HLA-G and IL-37 at the end and 24 weeks after treatment were detected by ELISA. RESULTS Plasma HLA-G and IL-37 were significantly increased in HCV-infected patients compared with healthy individuals before treatment. Furthermore, HLA-G in SVR patients was noticeably decreased after treatment, while HLA-G in non-SVR patients had no changes after treatment. Additionally, both in SVR and non-SVR patients, the expression of IL-37 was remarkably reduced compared with baseline after treatment. CONCLUSIONS These ﬁndings suggest that elevation of HLA-G and IL-37 in HCV may play an important role in response to combined therapy with IFN-a and RBV. Monitoring the expression of HLA-G during therapy could contribute to adjusting the treatment program of HCV-infected patients.
Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Affiliated Ningbo No. 2 Hospital, College of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China (mainland).
Shi-xiong
SX
Ding
Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Affiliated Ningbo No. 2 Hospital, College of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China (mainland).
Jian-bo
JB
Ma
Institute of Liver Disease, The Affiliated Ningbo No. 2 Hospital, College of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China (mainland).
Yao-ren
YR
Hu
Institute of Liver Disease, The Affiliated Ningbo No. 2 Hospital, College of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China (mainland).
Ai-rong
AR
Hu
Institute of Liver Disease, The Affiliated Ningbo No. 2 Hospital, College of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China (mainland).
Qiang
Q
Shen
Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Affiliated Ningbo No. 2 Hospital, College of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China (mainland).
Guo-shen
GS
Gao
D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D059951:HLA-G Antigens / Q000097:blood*; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012995:Solubility; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D059951:HLA-G Antigens; C508587:IL37 protein, human; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D007375:Interleukin-1; D012254:Ribavirin