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Plasma levels of growth‐related oncogene ( CXCL 1‐3) associated with fibrosis and platelet counts in HCV ‐infected patients
Author(s) -
Johansson S.,
Talloen W.,
Tuefferd M.,
Darling J. M.,
Scholliers A.,
Fanning G.,
Fried M. W.,
Aerssens J.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
alimentary pharmacology and therapeutics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.308
H-Index - 177
eISSN - 1365-2036
pISSN - 0269-2813
DOI - 10.1111/apt.13389
Subject(s) - medicine , fibrosis , platelet , immunology , chemokine , hepatitis c , hepatitis c virus , gastroenterology , immune system , virus
Summary Background Fibrosis progression in hepatitis C virus ( HCV )‐infected patients varies greatly between individuals. Chemokines recruit immune cells to the infected liver and may thus play a role in the fibrosis process. Aim To investigate plasma levels of a diverse chemokine panel in relation to liver fibrosis. Methods African‐American and Caucasian HCV genotype 1 infected patients were treated with peginterferon (peg IFN ) and ribavirin ( RBV ) for 48 weeks ( VIRAHEP ‐C cohort). Plasma levels of 13 cytokines were studied at baseline ( n = 386). Subsequently, GRO α levels were assessed in a sub cohort ( n = 99) at baseline, and at 4 and 12 weeks after start of peg IFN / RBV treatment. Results Increased severity of fibrosis (Ishak fibrosis score 0–2 vs. 3–6) was associated with increased plasma IP ‐10 ( CXCL 10) and IL ‐8 ( CXCL 8) levels, and decreased plasma levels of the chemokine growth‐related oncogene ( GRO , CXCL 1‐3). Plasma GRO levels were also positively correlated with platelet counts, and were higher in African‐American as compared to Caucasian patients. In response to peg IFN / RBV treatment, GRO α levels increased in Caucasian but not African‐American patients from week 4 onwards. Conclusions The association with severity of fibrosis and platelet count positions plasma GRO as a potential biomarker for liver fibrosis in HCV ‐infected patients. The secretion of GRO by platelets may explain the correlation between GRO plasma level and platelet count. The ethnic difference in GRO levels both pre‐treatment and in response to peg IFN / RBV might be driven by a genetic polymorphism in GRO α associated with higher plasma levels and more common in the African‐American population.