Hepatitis D virus-specific cytokine responses in patients with chronic hepatitis delta before and during interferon alfa-treatment

[Guest guest]

http://www.mdlinx.com/gastroenterology/newsl-article.cfm/3749772/ZZ6806553679256\

39220014/?news_id=511 & newsdt=092911 & subspec_id=144

Hepatitis D virus-specific cytokine responses in patients with chronic hepatitis

delta before and during interferon alfa-treatment

Liver International, 09/29/2011 Clinical Article

Grabowski J et al. - This study suggests that cellular Hepatitis D

virus(HDV)-specific immune responses contribute to the control of HDV infection

and that cytokine responses may indicate response to

type-I-interferon(IFN)-based antiviral therapy of hepatitis delta.

Methods

.. HDV-specific cytokine production of peripheral blood mononuclear cells

stimulated with HDV peptide pools as well as serum cytokine levels in

well-characterized patients with chronic HDV infection before and during

pegylated-interferon-alfa±adefovir therapy were studied .

Results

.. Hepatitis D virus-specific interleukin (IL)-2, IFN- & gamm;-,

interferon-inducible protein-10 and IL-10-responses were detectable in 53%, 35%,

65% and 6% of hepatitis delta patients.

.. HDV-specific IFN-ã responses tended to be more common in patients with low HDV

viral loads.

.. HDV-specific cytokine responses declined during pegylated (PEG)-IFNa therapy

and patterns of changes were associated with the treatment response.

.. Serum cytokine levels also showed distinct changes during PEG-IFNa treatment.

Read this article in Liver International