Background: Hepatitis C is an infectious liver disease caused by hepatitis C virus (HCV) and is the second leading viral infectious disease worldwide. Interferon-alpha (IFNa) has been one of the drugs used to treat chronic hepatitis C virus (CHCV) infection.
Aims: This study aims to determine the influence of neutralizing Interferon-a antibodies on Oligo-Adenylate Synthetase 1 gene expression and hence the viral clearance in the outcome of treatment in CHC patients.
Materials and methods: Concentrations of serum Interferon-a-Antibody in HCV infected (N=122) and healthy individuals (N=50) were measured using quantitative ELISA. Expression of hepatic Oligo-Adenylate Synthetase at mRNA level was studied by RT-PCR in liver biopsies of CHC patients.
Results: In CHC infection, treated patients had higher Interferon-a-Antibody and Oligo-Adenylate Synthetase expression compared with treatment-naïve patients, who had lower Interferon-a-Antibody and Oligo-Adenylate Synthetase 1 expression. Treated patients with Interferon-a-Antibody levels =7.45ng/ml showed significant reduction in Oligo-Adenylate Synthetase1 expression when compared to patients having <7.45ng/ml Interferon-a-Antibody. A =4.5 fold rise in Oligo-Adenylate Synthetase1 expression was significantly associated with reduction in HCV viral load when compared with treated and treatment-naïve groups. Treatment responders had less Interferon-a-Antibody than non-responders. Patients failing to clear HCV RNA had shown Interferon-a-Antibody =7.45ng/ml and Oligo-Adenylate Synthetase1 expression <4.5-fold rise.
Conclusion: The serum Interferon-a-Antibody of >7.4ng/ml was elucidated as the level that reduced the expression of Oligo-Adenylate Synthetase1 gene, which in turn affected viral clearance during therapy Interferon-a-Antibody may have an important role in treatment outcome and needs to be monitored during therapy.