Clinical Research
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2002. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jun 15, 2002; 8(3): 562-566
Published online Jun 15, 2002. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v8.i3.562
HCV-specific cytokine induction in monocytes of patients with different outcomes of hepatitis C
Rainer P. Woitas, Uwe Petersen, Dirk Moshage, Hans H. Brackmann, Bertfried Matz, Tilman Sauerbruch, Ulrich Spengler
Rainer P. Woitas, Uwe Petersen, Dirk Moshage, Tilman Sauerbruch, Ulrich Spengle, Department of Internal Medicine I, University of Bonn, 53105 Bonn, Germany
Hans H. Brackmann, Institute of Experimental Hematology, University of Bonn, 53105 Bonn, Germany
Bertfried Matz, Institute of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Bonn, 53105 Bonn, Germany
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Correspondence to: Dr. Rainer P. Woitas, Medizinische Kliniku. Poliklinik I, -Allgemeine Innere Medizin-, Universitt Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Strae 25, D-53105 Bonn, Germany. woitas@uni-bonn.de
Received: March 12, 2002
Revised: April 13, 2002
Accepted: April 25, 2002
Published online: June 15, 2002
Abstract

AIM: Cytokine release by macrophages critically determines the type of immune response to an antigen. Therefore, we studied hepatitis C virus (HCV)-specific induction of interleukins-1β, -10, -12 (IL-1β, IL-10, IL-12), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in monocytes.

METHODS: Intracellular cytokine expression was studied by flow cytometry in 23 patients with chronic hepatitis C, 14 anti-HCV seropositives without viremia and 11 controls after stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells with recombinant core, NS3, NS4, NS5a and NS5b proteins.

RESULTS: Patients with HCV viremia revealed greater spontaneous expression of IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-10. Furthermore, greater than twofold higher IL-10 expression was induced by the HCV antigens in chronic hepatitis C than in the other two groups (P < 0.05). In contrast, neither IL-12 nor TNF-α was induced preferentially.

CONCLUSION: In chronic hepatitis C antigen-specific cytokine induction in monocytes is apparently shifted towards predominant IL-10 induction - not counterbalanced by antiviral type 1 cytokines. This may contribute to persistent viral replication.

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