INFO:Oral prostaglandin (PGE2) therapy for chronic viral hepatitis B and C

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Journal of Viral Hepatitis 6 329-336

© Blackwell Science Ltd.

Oral prostaglandin (PGE2) therapy for chronic viral hepatitis B and C

A. Hyman1, C. Yim1, M. Krajden2, S. Read3, A. S. H. Basinski4, I. Wanless5,

G. Levy1 and J. Heathcote1

The cytoprotective effects of prostaglandins have been utilized in the

prevention of hepatitis B virus reactivation after liver transplantation.

This pilot study evaluated the effects of oral prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in

chronic viral hepatitis B and C. Twenty patients with chronic hepatitis B

and 20 patients with chronic hepatitis C received 4mgday-1 PGE2 for 6

months. The lymphocyte antiviral enzyme 2',5'-oligoadenylate synthetase (2'

,5'-OAS) and peripheral blood monocyte procoagulant activity (PCA) were

measured before, during and after the treatment. Three of 20 hepatitis B and

five of 20 hepatitis C patients withdrew from the study. Eight of 17

hepatitis B patients responded: in seven of these eight patients, serum

alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels normalized; loss of viral replication

was sustained in all eight patients; and seroconversion from hepatitis Be

antigen (HBeAg) to hepatitis Be antibody (HBeAb) positivity occurred in

seven patients over the 48-week duration of this study. In 14 of the 15

hepatitis C patients, hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA remained detectable and

the serum ALT levels remained elevated. 2',5'-OAS levels and PCA values did

not correlate with other markers of response to PGE2 therapy in either

chronic hepatitis B or C. In summary, PGE2 was associated with sustained

loss of viral replication in 47% of chronic hepatitis B patients; no

beneficial effects were apparent in chronic hepatitis C.

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