Early changes in natural killer cell function indicate virologic response to interferon therapy for hepatitis C.

Background & Aims: Mathematical modeling of hepatitis C virus (HCV) kinetics indicated that cellular immune responses contribute to interferon (IFN)-induced clearance of HCV. We investigated a potential role of natural killer (NK) cells in this process.

Methods: Phenotype and function of blood and liver NK cells were studied during the first 12 weeks of treatment with pegylated IFN-alfa and ribavirin, the time period used to define the early virological response.

Natural killer cells are polarized toward cytotoxicity in chronic hepatitis C in an interferon-alfa-dependent manner.

Background & Aims: Patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection display great variability in disease activity and progression. Although virus-specific adaptive immune responses have been characterized extensively and found to be impaired in chronic hepatitis C, the role of innate immune responses in disease activity and progression of chronic hepatitis C is not well understood.

Methods: We studied 42 HCV-infected patients and 12 healthy uninfected controls.