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Factors associated with the response to interferon-based antiviral therapies for chronic hepatitis C.

ABSTRACT: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major health concern worldwide. Interferon-? (IFN-?) therapy has been the main antiviral treatment for more than 20 years. Because of its established antitumor effects, IFN-based treatments for chronic HCV infection still have a clinical impact, particularly for patients with high risk conditions of developing hepatocellular carcinoma, such as older age and advanced liver fibrosis. As a result of exhaustive research, several viral factors, including NS5A amino acid mutations such as the IFN sensitivity-determining region and the IFN/ribavirin resistance-determining region, and mutations of amino acids in the core protein region (core 70 and 91) were shown to be associated with the response to IFN-? treatment. In addition, among the host factors related to the response to IFN-? treatment, polymorphisms of the interleukin-28B gene were identified to be the most important factor. In this article, we review the factors associated with the efficacy of IFN-? treatment for chronic HCV infection. In addition, our recent findings regarding the possible involvement of anti-IFN-? neutralizing antibodies in a non-response to pegylated-IFN-? treatment are also described.

SUBMITTER: Enomoto H

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4651912 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Factors associated with the response to interferon-based antiviral therapies for chronic hepatitis C.

Enomoto Hirayuki H Nishiguchi Shuhei S

World journal of hepatology 20151101 26

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major health concern worldwide. Interferon-α (IFN-α) therapy has been the main antiviral treatment for more than 20 years. Because of its established antitumor effects, IFN-based treatments for chronic HCV infection still have a clinical impact, particularly for patients with high risk conditions of developing hepatocellular carcinoma, such as older age and advanced liver fibrosis. As a result of exhaustive research, several viral factors, including NS5A am ...[more]

PMID: 26609345

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Project description:Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has emerged as a major viral pandemic over the past two decades, infecting 170 million individuals, which equates to approximately 3% of the world's population. The prevalence of HCV varies according to geographic region, being highest in developing countries such as Egypt. HCV has a high tendency to induce chronic progressive liver damage in the form of hepatic fibrosis, cirrhosis, or liver cancer. To date, there is no vaccine against HCV infection. Combination therapy comprising PEGylated interferon-alpha and ribavirin has been the standard of care for patients with chronic hepatitis C for more than a decade. However, many patients still do not respond to therapy or develop adverse events. Recently, direct antiviral agents such as protease inhibitors, polymerase inhibitors, or NS5A inhibitors have been used to augment PEGylated interferon and ribavirin, resulting in better efficacy, better tolerance, and a shorter treatment duration. However, most clinical trials have focused on assessing the efficacy and safety of direct antiviral agents in patients with genotype 1, and the response of other HCV genotypes has not been elucidated. Moreover, the prohibitive costs of such triple therapies will limit their use in patients in developing countries where most of the HCV infection exists. Understanding the host and viral factors associated with viral clearance is necessary for individualizing therapy to maximize sustained virologic response rates, prevent progression to liver disease, and increase the overall benefits of therapy with respect to its costs. Genome wide studies have shown significant associations between a set of polymorphisms in the region of the interleukin-28B (IL28B) gene and natural clearance of HCV infection or after PEGylated interferon-alpha and ribavirin treatment with and without direct antiviral agents. This paper synthesizes the recent advances in the pharmacogenetics of HCV infection in the era of triple therapies.

Project description:Time series of gene expression arrays before and during treatment of Hepatitis C; days 0, 1, 2, 7, 14 and 28 for 69 participants (IDs 1 through 69 are used). Treating chronic hepatitis C using peginterferon alpha and ribavirin leads to sustained clearance of virus and clinical improvement in approximately 50% of patients. Response rates are lower among patients with genotype 1 than with genotypes 2 and 3 and among African American ( AA) compared to Caucasian (CA) patients. Using DNA microarrays, gene expression was assessed in a group of 33 African American and 36 Caucasian American patients with chronic hepatitis C, genotype 1 during the first 28 days of treatment. Results were examined with respect to treatment responses and to race. Patients showed a response to treatment at the gene expression level in RNA isolated from PBMC irrespective of degree of decrease in hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA levels. However, gene expression responses were relatively blunted in patients with poor viral response (< 1.5 log10 IU/ml decrease at 28 days) compared to those in patients with a marked (> 3.5 log10 decrease) or intermediate (1.5 to 3.5 log10 decrease) response. The number of genes that were up- or down-regulated by peginterferon and ribavirin treatment was fewer in patients with a poor response compared to those with an intermediate or marked viral response. However AA patients had a stronger interferon response than CA patients in general. The induced levels of known ISGs such as OAS, MX1, IRF-7 and the toll like receptor TLR-7 was lower in poor response patients than in marked or intermediate response patients. Thus, the relative lack of viral response to interferon therapy of hepatitis C is associated with blunted interferon cell signaling. No specific regulatory gene could be identified as responsible for this global blunting or racial differences. Experiment Overall Design: Eligible patients were naÃ¯ve to interferon and ribavirin treatment, had detectable HCV RNA in serum, and nearly all had a liver biopsy performed within the previous 18 months showing chronic hepatitis. Only patients who were born in the United States and designated themselves as âAfrican American/Blackâ or âCaucasian/Whiteâ were eligible. The clinical protocol called for participants to be treated for up to 48 weeks with peginterferon alpha-2a (Pegasysâ¢, Roche Pharmaceuticals Nutley, NJ) in a dose of 180 Âµg weekly by self-administered subcutaneous injection and ribavirin (Copegusâ¢, Roche) orally in a dose of 1000 or 1200 mg daily based on body weight of less than 75 kg or equal to or greater than 75 kg. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were collected from patients before treatment (day 0) and on days 1 (after the initial supervised injection of peginterferon), 2, 7, 14 and 28. From the Virahep-C cohort, 72 patients who did not have dose reductions of either peginterferon or ribavirin in the first 28 days of treatment were selected such that 12 patients were included in each race (CA, AA) by virological response category. The three categories of response were: marked, defined as a decrease in HCV RNA levels of more than 3.5 log10 IU/ml or to undetectable on day 28; intermediate, defined as a decrease of 1.4 to 3.5 log10 IU/ml on day 28; and poor, defined as less than 1.4 log10 IU/ml decline on day 28 relative to baseline. These definitions were made a priori in an attempt to analyze the biological basis for virological responses. Of these, adequate RNA was not obtained from 3 patients to provide gene expression information. Of these 72, 69 were analyzed.

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Factors associated with the response to interferon-based antiviral therapies for chronic hepatitis C.

Publications

Factors associated with the response to interferon-based antiviral therapies for chronic hepatitis C.

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