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Fas / FasL system, IL‐1 β expression and apoptosis in chronic HBV and HCV liver disease
Author(s) -
Bortolami M.,
Kotsafti A.,
Cardin R.,
Farinati F.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of viral hepatitis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.329
H-Index - 100
eISSN - 1365-2893
pISSN - 1352-0504
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2893.2008.00974.x
Subject(s) - fas ligand , hepatocellular carcinoma , hepatitis b virus , cirrhosis , liver disease , apoptosis , medicine , tunel assay , hepatitis c virus , immunology , chronic liver disease , virus , virology , biology , cancer research , immunohistochemistry , programmed cell death , biochemistry
Summary. The Fas / Fas‐ligand (FasL) system is an important death signal pathway in the liver. An enhanced local inflammatory response prompted by FasL expression, which contributes to neutrophil recruitment and interleukin‐1 beta (IL‐1β) release, seems to be crucial to chronic liver damage, persistence of viral infections, and probably initiation and / or promotion of HCC. In order to evaluate the expression of Fas, FasL, and IL‐1β in different stages of human liver disease and to determine whether hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections modulate their expression, also in relation to apoptosis, we examined 87 liver samples obtained from patients with: chronic hepatitis (CH) (n.42), cirrhosis (n.9) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (n.16) and corresponding peritumoural tissues (n.16); histologically‐normal liver (n.4) as controls. Fas, FasL and IL‐1β mRNA were quantified using reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction. The apoptotic index was evaluated by TUNEL analysis. Our data showed a progressive Fas / FasL increase from CH to cirrhosis followed by a decline from the latter to HCC. In histological sections apoptosis was detected in HCC. A significant difference emerged between HCV and HBV‐related disease for IL‐1β expression only in CH. A significant positive correlation between IL‐1β and FasL in HCV‐related disease ( P = 0.014) and an inverse correlation between IL‐1β and Fas in HBV‐related disease ( P = 0.021) were observed. The different pattern of IL‐1β, Fas and FasL expression found in HCV‐ and HBV‐mediated liver disease, points to a different modulation of immune response B and C virus induced, while the decline in Fas / FasL expression in HCC may be related to defence mechanisms adopted by HCC cells against the immune system.