Brief Article
Copyright ©2010 Baishideng. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Apr 14, 2010; 16(14): 1747-1752
Published online Apr 14, 2010. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v16.i14.1747
Successful antiviral therapy is associated with a decrease of serum prohepcidin in chronic hepatitis C
Jerzy Jaroszewicz, Magdalena Rogalska, Iwona Flisiak, Robert Flisiak
Jerzy Jaroszewicz, Magdalena Rogalska, Robert Flisiak, Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok 15-540, Poland
Iwona Flisiak, Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok 15-540, Poland
Author contributions: Jaroszewicz J and Flisiak R designed the study, collected patients’ material, analyzed and interpreted the data and contributed to writing the manuscript; Rogalska M performed the prohepcidin assays, analyzed the data and contributed to writing the manuscript; Flisiak I collected the references and contributed to writing the manuscript.
Supported by A Scientific Grant from the Medical University in Bialystok, No. 356978-L and a Polpharma Foundation For Development of Polish Pharmacy and Medicine
Correspondence to: Robert Flisiak, Professor, Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Medical University of Bialystok, Zurawia Str 14, Bialystok 15-540, Poland. flisiakr@poczta.onet.pl
Telephone: +48-85-7416921 Fax: +48-85-7416921
Received: December 14, 2009
Revised: January 13, 2010
Accepted: January 20, 2010
Published online: April 14, 2010
Abstract

AIM: To assess serum concentrations of prohepcidin in chronic hepatitis C individuals and evaluate their associations with disease activity and efficacy of pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN)/ribavirin (RBV) therapy.

METHODS: Prohepcidin was measured in sera of 53 chronic hepatitis C patients. Concentrations of prohepcidin and other iron metabolism markers were analyzed at 9 time points before, during and after the end of antiviral therapy.

RESULTS: In hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1-infected individuals, a gradual decrease of prohepcidin during antiviral therapy was observed in responders (88.8 ± 14.7 ng/mL before therapy vs 60.6 ± 0.3 ng/mL in the 48th wk, P = 0.04). In contrast, no decrease was observed in non-responders. A similar association was observed in HCV genotype 3a individuals, with a statistically significant decline in serum prohepcidin only in the responder group (99.5 ± 5.2 ng/mL at baseline vs 72.7 ± 6.1 ng/mL in the 24th wk, P = 0.01). Moreover, HCV-RNA at week 12 of therapy was positively correlated with baseline (R = 0.63, P < 0.005) and week 12 (R = 0.60, P = 0.01) serum prohepcidin concentrations in HCV genotype 1 infection.

CONCLUSION: Successful PEG-IFN/RBV therapy results in a decline of serum prohepcidin concentration in chronic hepatitis C, which may suggest a direct effect of HCV on iron metabolism at the prohormonal level of hepcidin.

Keywords: Iron metabolism; Hepcidin; Hepatitis C virus; Interferon; Sustained viral response