The concentration of sFasL, ICE and IL-1beta in the serum and the liver tissue of chronic HCV infected patients

Abstract

Background/aims: In HCV infected patients HCV, apoptosis is as important as cytotoxicity. The aim of the present study was to estimate the activity of apoptosis in patients infected with hepatitis C before and during antiviral treatment.

Methodology: 23 patients with hepatitis C were treated with Rebetron for 12 months. The concentration of IL-1beta, ICE and sFasL in the serum and liver tissue was analyzed before treatment was begun. The concentrations of IL-1beta, ICE and sFasL after 2 and 12 weeks of treatment were also analyzed. The concentrations of IL-1beta, ICE and sFasL in the liver tissue of patients with hepatitis C were compared with the concentrations in liver tissue of patients with alcohol related liver damage, but not HBV or HCV infected.

Results: Only 35% of the patients eliminated HCV-RNA from the blood six months after treatment had ended. The concentration of ICE and IL-1beta in the liver tissue of patients with hepatitis C was compared to concentrations in the liver tissue of patients with alcohol related liver damage. The concentration of sFasL in the liver tissue was twice as high among patients with alcohol related liver damage in comparison to the patients with infected hepatitis C. In the control group sFasL and ICE were not confirmed in the serum. After antiviral therapy the number of patients with sFas ligand in the blood increased (before beginning treatment 1 patient, after 12 weeks 8 patients). The high concentrations of ICE and IL-1beta in the serum showed a tendency to decrease during 12 weeks of therapy in the successfully treated patients.

Conclusions: The HCV seems to be a mild stimulator of apoptosis. There was only a slight correlation between the morphology changes in the liver tissue and apoptosis in patients with HCV. There was no correlation between the success of the therapy and the apoptosis activity.