T-cell homeostasis in chronic HCV-infected patients treated with interferon and ribavirin or an interferon-free regimen

TY - JOUR

T1 - T-cell homeostasis in chronic HCV-infected patients treated with interferon and ribavirin or an interferon-free regimen

AU - Hartling, Hans Jakob

AU - Birch, Carsten

AU - Gaardbo, Julie C

AU - Hove, Malene

AU - Trøseid, Marius

AU - Clausen, Mette R

AU - Gerstoft, Jan

AU - Ullum, Henrik

AU - Nielsen, Susanne Dam

N1 - © 2015 APMIS. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

PY - 2015/10/1

Y1 - 2015/10/1

N2 - Direct-acting antiviral has replaced pegylated interferon-α and ribavirin-based treatment in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. While interferon-α is immune modulating and causes lymphopenia, interferon-free regimens seem to be well-tolerated. This study aimed to compare T-cell homeostasis before, during, and after HCV treatment with or without interferon-α in patients with chronic HCV infection. A total of 20 patients with chronic HCV infection were treated with pegylated interferon-α and ribavirin, and six patients were treated with an interferon-free regimen. All patients were treated for a minimum of 12 weeks. Interferon-α treatment caused an increase in the density of the receptor for IL-7 (IL-7Rα) during treatment, while interferon-free regimens caused a decrease in IL-7Rα density. After a sustained viral response, proportions of IL-7Rα+ T cells and IL-7Rα density decreased compared to prior treatment values. Finally, a proportion of CD8+ effector memory was lower while proportion of apoptotic T cells was higher after sustained virologic response compared to prior treatment. Despite lymphopenia during interferon, alterations in T-cell homeostasis during treatment were relatively similar in patients receiving interferon-based treatment and in patients receiving interferon-free treatment, and alterations during and after treatment seem to illustrate a reduced need for high levels of T cells aimed at controlling infection.

AB - Direct-acting antiviral has replaced pegylated interferon-α and ribavirin-based treatment in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. While interferon-α is immune modulating and causes lymphopenia, interferon-free regimens seem to be well-tolerated. This study aimed to compare T-cell homeostasis before, during, and after HCV treatment with or without interferon-α in patients with chronic HCV infection. A total of 20 patients with chronic HCV infection were treated with pegylated interferon-α and ribavirin, and six patients were treated with an interferon-free regimen. All patients were treated for a minimum of 12 weeks. Interferon-α treatment caused an increase in the density of the receptor for IL-7 (IL-7Rα) during treatment, while interferon-free regimens caused a decrease in IL-7Rα density. After a sustained viral response, proportions of IL-7Rα+ T cells and IL-7Rα density decreased compared to prior treatment values. Finally, a proportion of CD8+ effector memory was lower while proportion of apoptotic T cells was higher after sustained virologic response compared to prior treatment. Despite lymphopenia during interferon, alterations in T-cell homeostasis during treatment were relatively similar in patients receiving interferon-based treatment and in patients receiving interferon-free treatment, and alterations during and after treatment seem to illustrate a reduced need for high levels of T cells aimed at controlling infection.

KW - Adult

KW - Aged

KW - Antiviral Agents

KW - Apoptosis

KW - Benzofurans

KW - CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes

KW - CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes

KW - Drug Therapy, Combination

KW - Female

KW - Hepacivirus

KW - Hepatitis C, Chronic

KW - Humans

KW - Imidazoles

KW - Interferon-alpha

KW - Interleukin-7 Receptor alpha Subunit

KW - Lipopolysaccharides

KW - Lymphocyte Count

KW - Lymphopenia

KW - Male

KW - Middle Aged

KW - Oligopeptides

KW - Polyethylene Glycols

KW - Proline

KW - Prospective Studies

KW - Quinoxalines

KW - Recombinant Proteins

KW - Ribavirin

U2 - 10.1111/apm.12429

DO - 10.1111/apm.12429

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 26279289

SN - 0903-465X

VL - 123

SP - 903

EP - 911

JO - APMIS. Supplementum

JF - APMIS. Supplementum

IS - 10

ER -