1. Monocyte activation by interferon α is associated with failure to achieve a sustained virologic response after treatment for hepatitis C virus infection.
- Author
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Hartigan-O'Connor DJ, Lin D, Ryan JC, Shvachko VA, Cozen ML, Segal MR, Terrault NA, Lanier LL, Manos MM, and McCune JM
- Subjects
- Adult, Antigen-Presenting Cells, Case-Control Studies, Cohort Studies, Dendritic Cells, Female, Humans, Interferon alpha-2, Interferon-alpha administration & dosage, Male, Middle Aged, Polyethylene Glycols administration & dosage, Recombinant Proteins administration & dosage, Recombinant Proteins therapeutic use, Retrospective Studies, Ribavirin administration & dosage, Antiviral Agents therapeutic use, Hepatitis C drug therapy, Interferon-alpha therapeutic use, Monocytes drug effects, Monocytes physiology, Polyethylene Glycols therapeutic use, Ribavirin therapeutic use
- Abstract
Background: Interferon α (IFN-α) and ribavirin can induce a sustained virologic response (SVR) in some but not all hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients. The mechanism of effective treatment is unclear. One possibility is that IFN-α differentially improves the functional capacity of classic myeloid dendritic cells (mDCs) by altering expression of surface molecules or cytokines. Others have proposed that antigen-presenting cell activation could be paradoxically detrimental during HCV infection because of the production by monocytes of substances inhibitory or toxic to plasmacytoid dendritic cells., Methods: We examined responses to in vitro IFN-α treatment of peripheral blood leukocyte samples from a retrospective treatment cohort of nearly 200 HCV-seropositive patients who had undergone antiviral therapy with ribavirin and pegylated IFN. We analyzed the variable responses of antigen-presenting cell subsets to drug., Results: We found that patients achieving SVR were no more likely to have robust mDC activation in response to IFN-α than those who did not achieve SVR. Rather, patients achieving SVR were distinguished by restrained monocyte activation in the presence of IFN-α, a factor that was second in importance only to IL28B genotype in its association with SVR., Conclusions: These results suggest that interindividual variability in the response of monocytes to IFN-α is an important determinant of treatment success with IFN-α-based regimens.
- Published
- 2014
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