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Serum levels of soluble interferon alfa/beta receptor as an inhibitory factor of interferon in the patients with chronic hepatitis C
Author(s) -
Mizukoshi Eishiro,
Kaneko Shuichi,
Kaji Kyosuke,
Terasaki Shuichi,
Matsushita Eiki,
Muraguchi Masahiro,
Ohmoto Yasukazu,
Kobayashi Kenichi
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.488
H-Index - 361
eISSN - 1527-3350
pISSN - 0270-9139
DOI - 10.1002/hep.510300516
Subject(s) - medicine , alpha interferon , interferon alfa , alanine transaminase , gastroenterology , receptor , alpha (finance) , immunology , aspartate transaminase , interferon , endocrinology , biology , surgery , construct validity , biochemistry , alkaline phosphatase , patient satisfaction , enzyme
Human serum contains a soluble form of interferon alfa/beta (sIFN α/β) receptors, the functional and clinical significance of which has not been investigated in patients with chronic hepatitis C. In the present study, serum levels of sIFN α/β receptor were assessed in 81 patients with chronic hepatitis C and correlated with the effectiveness of IFN therapy in these patients. Serum levels of sIFN α/β receptor were significantly higher in patients with chronic hepatitis C than in healthy control patients ( P < .0001). In these patients, serum levels of sIFN α/β receptor were correlated with those of alanine transaminase (ALT) ( P < .05), (2′‐5′)serum oligo(A) synthetase (2‐5AS) ( P < .0001), and pathological stages of liver fibrosis ( P < .01). In 55 patients with chronic hepatitis C who underwent IFN therapy, there was an inverse correlation between the pretherapeutic serum levels of sIFN α/β receptor and the rate of increase in serum levels of 2‐5AS after the start of IFN ( P < .01). Pretherapeutic serum levels of sIFN α/β receptor were significantly lower in patients who showed sustained response to IFN therapy compared with those who did not respond to the therapy ( P < .05). Multivariate analysis showed that low levels of serum sIFN α/β receptor (≤4.0 ng/mL) ( P < .05) and serological hepatitis C virus genotype II ( P < .05) were independent variables contributing to sustained response to IFN therapy. Thus, pretherapeutic serum levels of sIFN α/β receptor were correlated with the effectiveness of IFN therapy, suggesting that sIFN α/β receptor suppresses the effectiveness of IFN therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C.