Ribavirin enhances interferon-gamma levels in patients with chronic hepatitis C treated with interferon-alpha.
J Biomed Sci
; 8(6): 484-91, 2001.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-11702012
ABSTRACT
Some patients with chronic hepatitis C respond to interferon (IFN)-alpha treatment, and the efficiency can be improved by combining it with ribavirin. The mechanism of this improvement is unknown. To investigate the effects of these two regimens on the immune responses in 51 patients with chronic hepatitis C, we examined the hepatitis C core antigen-specific proliferative response and cytokine production profiles, natural killer (NK) cell cytotoxicity and cytotoxic T cell function during treatment. The results are as follows (1) both viral clearance and biochemical normalization occurred more frequently in patients receiving combination therapy; (2) the function of NK cells increased after treatment in the responders of both groups (p < 0.05); (3) the level of IFN-gamma produced by hepatitis C core antigen-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells was higher in patients receiving combination therapy, especially in responders; (4) the core antigen-specific proliferative response decreased after treatment, and (5) in addition, the core-specific cytotoxic T cell activities of five responder patients also increased significantly after therapy. In conclusion, enhancement of immune responses, especially those related to type-1 T helper cell activity, may contribute to better efficacy in combining ribavirin with IFN-alpha for treatment of chronic hepatitis C.
Buscar no Google
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Contexto em Saúde:
2_ODS3
Problema de saúde:
2_enfermedades_transmissibles
Assunto principal:
Ribavirina
/
Interferon gama
/
Interferon-alfa
/
Hepatite C
Tipo de estudo:
Clinical_trials
Limite:
Adult
/
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Biomed Sci
Assunto da revista:
MEDICINA
Ano de publicação:
2001
Tipo de documento:
Article