HCV infection in hemophilia A patients is associated with altered cytokines and chemokines profile and might modulate the levels of FVIII inhibitor.

Prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is high in hemophilia A patients and the development of FVIII inhibitor is another challenge in the management of these individuals. The influence of HCV infection in the occurrence of inhibitors was investigated by the comparison of clinical and laboratory data from noninfected (NI, n = 96) and chronically HCV-infected (HCV, n = 58) hemophilia A patients. Concentrations of plasmatic cytokines (IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, TNF, IFN-γ, and IL-17A) and chemokines (CCL2, CCL5, CXCL8, CXCL9, and CXCL10) were quantified from patients' samples. The results showed that older age, use of cryoprecipitate and fresh frozen plasma, and severe hemophilia were associated with HCV infection, whereas exclusive use of virus inactivated clotting factors was a protector factor to acquiring HCV infection. HCV infection was strongly associated with low levels of inhibitor (OR = 20.53, p < 0.001). Patients with a history of inhibitor (INB+) presented a mixed immune profile characterized by higher levels of pro-and anti-inflammatory cytokines than those without a history of inhibitor (INB-). The highest levels of CCL2 and CXCL8 were seen in HCVINB- , whereas CXCL9 and CXCL10 in HCVINB+ . Heatmap analysis of the set of cytokines and chemokines concentration distributed HCV patients into two distinct clusters, HCVINB+ and HCVINB- , both characterized by low concentrations of IL-4, while noninfected patients were grouped in a single block regardless of inhibitor development history (NIINB-/INB+ ). This finding suggests that the strong association between HCV infection and low levels of factor VIII inhibitors might be due to the modulation of the cytokine and chemokine network established by the antiviral response.

Risk factors for antibody formation in children with hemophilia: methodological aspects and clinical characteristics of the HEMFIL cohort study.

Up to 35% of patients with hemophilia A and 5% with hemophilia B develop neutralizing antibodies which can inhibit the therapeutic activity of factor replacement (inhibitors). Despite the clinical relevance of antifactor VIII and IX neutralizing antibodies, there is still a major gap on the knowledge of risk factors for their development. Furthermore, most of the studies on risk factors for inhibitor development come from Caucasian and Afro-American populations. The HEMFIL is a Brazilian prospective cohort study of previously untreated children with hemophilia, which primary aim is to identify new risk factors related to inhibitor development. This manuscript aims at describing the study design and its methodology. After the diagnosis, children are followed up to 75 exposure days or to inhibitor development. Standardized forms and blood samples are collected to describe clinical characteristics and to perform the measurement of immunological and genetic biomarkers at three time points; Inclusion time (T0), at inhibitor development or at 75 exposure days without inhibitors (T1) and after immune tolerance induction for patients in whom it is indicated and performed (T2). Currently, 120 children have been included, of whom, 95 have completed the follow-up. For severe/moderately severe hemophilia A, the cumulative incidence of inhibitors at 75 exposure days was 35% (95% confidence interval, 26-46%). The inclusion of additional patients and a longer follow-up will allow the analysis of risk factors for inhibitor development.

Immune status of patients with haemophilia A before exposure to factor VIII: first results from the HEMFIL study.

Previous cross-sectional studies showed that some patients with haemophilia A (HA) without inhibitor presented a pro-inflammatory profile during factor VIII (FVIII) replacement therapy. Furthermore, an anti-inflammatory/regulatory state was described in HA patients after inhibitor development. However, no study investigated the levels of these biomarkers before exposure to exogenous FVIII. This study investigated the immunological profile of previously untreated patients (PUPs) with HA in comparison with non-haemophiliac boys. A panel of chemokines and cytokines was evaluated in the plasma of 40 PUPs with HA and 47 healthy controls. The presence of microparticles was assessed in the plasma of 32 PUPs with HA and 47 healthy controls. PUPs with HA presented higher levels of CXCL8 (IL8), IL6, IL4, IL10, IL2, IL17A (IL17), and lower levels of CXCL10 (IP-10) and CCL2 (MCP-1) than the age-matched healthy controls (P < 0·05). We also observed higher levels of microparticles derived from endothelium, erythrocytes, platelets, leucocytes, neutrophils, and T lymphocytes in patients in comparison with controls (P < 0·05). Compared with controls, PUPs with HA presented a distinct immunological profile, characterized by a prominent pro-inflammatory status that appears to be regulated by IL4 and IL10.

The IL-10 polarized cytokine pattern in innate and adaptive immunity cells contribute to the development of FVIII inhibitors.

BACKGROUND: Hemophilia A (HA) is an X-linked inherited bleeding disorder, resulting from a qualitative or quantitative deficiency of clotting factor VIII (FVIII). Antibodies against FVIII, also called inhibitors, block the procoagulant activity of FVIII; thus, impairing hemostatic activity in patients with HA. The exact mechanism underlying the immunological events behind the development of inhibitors remains unknown. This study aimed to understand immune response to FVIII in patients with HA who were either positive [HAα-FVIII(+)] or negative [HAα-FVIII(-)] for inhibitors. METHODS: Cytokine profiles [interferon-γ (IFN - γ), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-5, and IL-10] of innate and adaptive immune cells present in the peripheral blood of participants were characterized. RESULTS: Presence of inhibitors was significantly associated with decreased frequencies of TNF-α-positive monocytes and neutrophils, IL-5-positive monocytes, IL-4-positive neutrophils, and increased frequencies of IL-10-positive neutrophils and T cells. T cells from HAα-FVIII(-) patients expressed increased levels of almost all cytokines. In contrast, HAα-FVIII(+) patients showed lower levels of all cytokines in CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells, except IL-10. B cells from HAα-FVIII(-) patients expressed increased levels of IL-4 while those from HAα-FVIII(+) patients expressed increased levels of IL-10. CONCLUSIONS: The global cytokine profiles of innate and adaptive immune cells showed an anti-inflammatory/regulatory pattern in HAα-FVIII(+) patients and a mixed pattern, with a bias toward inflammatory cytokine profile, in HAα-FVIII(-) patients. The occurrence of these profiles seems to be associated with presence FVIII inhibitors.

Desenvolvimento de inibidores do fator VIII na hemofilia A / Development of factor VIII inhibitors in hemophilia A

A hemofilia A é uma coagulopatia genética com herança recessiva ligada ao cromossomo X que afeta 1-2 a cada 10 mil indivíduos do sexo masculino nascidos vivos. Estes indivíduos têm baixas concentrações ou ausência do fator VIII (FVIII) da coagulação no plasma e apresentam quadros hemorrágicos leves, moderados e graves, dependendo da atividade de FVIII circulante. Estes pacientes necessitam de constante reposição proteica e aproximadamente 30 por cento deles desenvolvem aloanticorpos contra a proteína exógena. A síntese dos anticorpos anti-FVIII é iniciada quando o FVIII exógeno é endocitado por células apresentadoras de antígeno, degradado e apresentado às células T CD4+ na forma de peptídeos ligados a moléculas do complexo maior de histocompatibilidade (MHC) de classe II. Alguns fatores de risco (paciente/tratamento) podem ser relacionados ao desenvolvimento desta resposta imune. Neste contexto, as mutações no gene do FVIII e polimorfismos em genes envolvidos na resposta imune são candidatos moleculares como determinantes imunogenéticos na predisposição para o desenvolvimento de inibidores. Por não ser completamente entendido e controlado, o desenvolvimento desta resposta imune contra o FVIII constitui o maior problema decorrente do tratamento de indivíduos portadores de hemofilia A e faz-se necessária busca de opções que visem minimizar suas ações deletérias. Algumas alternativas de tratamento têm se mostrado eficazes no tratamento (anti-CD20, plasmaférese, concentrado de complexo protrombínico (PCCs), concentrado de complexo protrombínico ativado (APCCs), fator VII humano ativado), mas a retirada ou neutralização específica dos inibidores de FVIII ainda não foram alcançadas.

Hemophilia A, which affects 1-2:10,000 live-born male neonates, is a genetic coagulopathy with recessive inheritance linked to the X chromosome. These individuals have low concentrations or no coagulation factor VIII (FVIII) in the plasma and suffer from mild, moderate and severe bleeding depending on the circulating FVIII activity. These patients need frequent protein infusions and approximately 30 percent of them develop alloantibodies against the exogenous protein. Anti-FVIII antibody synthesis initiates when the exogenous FVIII is internalized by antigen presenter cells, degraded and presented to CD4+ T-cells as peptides associated to the class II major histocompatibility complex (MHC). Some risk factors (patient/treatment) may be related to the development of this immune response. Thus, FVIII gene mutations and polymorphisms of genes involved in immune response are molecular candidates of immunogenic determinants in the predisposition for inhibitor development. As it is not fully understood and controlled, the development of immune response against FVIII constitutes a major problem in the treatment of hemophilia A which aims at minimizing the deleterious consequences. Some therapeutic alternatives have been effective (anti-CD20, plasmapheresis, prothrombin complex concentrates, activated prothrombin complex concentrates, human activated factor VII), but removal or neutralization of specific anti-FVIII inhibitors has not been achieved yet.