Clinical observation of serum IL-18, IL-10 and sIL-2R levels in patients with chronic hepatitis C pre- and post antiviral treatment.

Hongyu Jia Jie Du Sihe Zhu Yingji Ma Huafeng Cai

Chin Med J (Engl)

The Immunological Department, Institute of Infectious Diseases of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310003, China.

Published: April 2003

- The study aims to explore the roles of serum cytokines IL-18, IL-10, and sIL-2R in chronic hepatitis C and assess how interferon (IFN) affects their levels.
- Measurements of these cytokines were taken from healthy individuals, asymptomatic HCV carriers, and patients with chronic hepatitis C, revealing higher levels in the sick group and a notable decrease after IFN treatment.
- The findings suggest that these cytokines play a significant role in the disease's development and can help evaluate IFN treatment effectiveness, especially sIL-2R and IL-10 as predictors of antiviral response.

Objective: To discuss the roles of serum interleukin-18 (IL-18), interleukin-10 (IL-10) and soluble interleukin-2R (sIL-2R) in the pathogenesis of chronic hepatitis C and to observe the effects of interferon (IFN) on the above- mentioned serum cytokines.

Methods: The levels of above- mentioned cytokines were detected in 10 healthy individuals, 24 asymptomatic hepatitis virus C (HCV) carriers and 27 patients with chronic hepatitis C (before and after IFN treatment) using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Results: The levels of the cytokines in patients with chronic hepatitis C are higher than in healthy people (P < 0.05) and in asymptomatic HCV carriers (P < 0.05). The values of the cytokines show a significant positive correlation to ALT (P < 0.05). Levels of tested cytokines decreased observably after IFN treatment (P < 0.05). The grades of the serum levels for sIL-2R and IL-10 before IFN treatment (from high to low) were categorized accordingly: non-response group > partial- response group > complete- response group (P < 0.05).

Conclusions: The tested cytokines co-participate in the pathogenesis of chronic hepatitis C, and can be used to evaluate the effect of IFN on the immune state of organisms. Furthermore, sIL-2R and IL-10 are important for predicting the anti-viral efficacy of IFN.

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