Journal of Gastroenterology

, Volume 47, Issue 2, pp 169–178 | Cite as

Dynamics of regulatory T cells and plasmacytoid dendritic cells as immune markers for virological response in pegylated interferon-α and ribavirin therapy for chronic hepatitis C patients

  • Tatsuya Kanto
  • Michiyo Inoue
  • Tsugiko Oze
  • Masanori Miyazaki
  • Mitsuru Sakakibara
  • Naruyasu Kakita
  • Tokuhiro Matsubara
  • Koyo Higashitani
  • Hideki Hagiwara
  • Sadaharu Iio
  • Kazuhiro Katayama
  • Eiji Mita
  • Akinori Kasahara
  • Naoki Hiramatsu
  • Tetsuo Takehara
  • Norio Hayashi
Original Article—Liver, Pancreas, and Biliary Tract
First Online:
Received:
Accepted:

Abstract

Background

For the treatment of chronic hepatitis C, a combination of pegylated interferon-α (PEG-IFNα) and ribavirin has been widely used as a standard of care. Enhancement of immune response against hepatitis C virus (HCV) is known to be involved in the efficacy of the combination therapy. Our aim was to elucidate whether or not the frequency or function of blood cells is related to the outcome of the therapy.

Methods

Sixty-seven chronic hepatitis C patients with high viral load of HCV genotype 1 infection who underwent 48 weeks of PEG-IFNα2b and ribavirin therapy were examined. During the treatment, frequencies of myeloid or plasmacytoid dendritic cells, Th1, Th2 cells, NK cells, and regulatory T cells were phenotypically determined.

Results

Among the patients enrolled, 29 showed a sustained virological response (SVR), 18 a transient response (TR) and 17 no response (NR). The clinical and immunological markers were compared between the SVR and non-SVR patients, including TR and NR. Based on clinical, histological, immunological parameters, and cumulative dosage of PEG-IFNα2b and ribavirin, multivariate analyses revealed that higher platelet counts and higher regulatory T cell frequency at week 12 are indicative of SVR. Even in patients who attained complete early virological response at week 12, multivariate analyses disclosed that higher platelet counts and higher plasmacytoid dendritic cell frequency are indicative of SVR.

Conclusions

In PEG-IFNα and ribavirin combination therapy for chronic hepatitis C patients, the increments of regulatory T cells and plasmacytoid dendritic cell frequency are independently related to favorable virological response to the therapy.

Keywords

Early virological response Plasmacytoid dendritic cells Regulatory T cells 
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Notes

Acknowledgments

This study was funded in part by Grant-in-Aid Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan and Ministry of Education, Science and Culture of Japan (ID: 22590729 and 22590730).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Copyright information

© Springer 2011

Authors and Affiliations

  • Tatsuya Kanto
    • 1
    • 2
  • Michiyo Inoue
    • 1
  • Tsugiko Oze
    • 1
  • Masanori Miyazaki
    • 1
  • Mitsuru Sakakibara
    • 1
    • 7
  • Naruyasu Kakita
    • 1
  • Tokuhiro Matsubara
    • 1
  • Koyo Higashitani
    • 1
  • Hideki Hagiwara
    • 3
    • 8
  • Sadaharu Iio
    • 3
  • Kazuhiro Katayama
    • 4
    • 7
  • Eiji Mita
    • 5
  • Akinori Kasahara
    • 6
  • Naoki Hiramatsu
    • 1
  • Tetsuo Takehara
    • 1
  • Norio Hayashi
    • 1
    • 8
  1. 1.Department of Gastroenterology and HepatologyOsaka University Graduate School of MedicineSuitaJapan
  2. 2.Department of Dendritic Cell Biology and Clinical ApplicationsOsaka University Graduate School of MedicineSuitaJapan
  3. 3.Higashiosaka City General HospitalHigashi-OsakaJapan
  4. 4.Osaka Kosei-Nenkin HospitalOsakaJapan
  5. 5.National Hospital Organization Osaka National HospitalOsakaJapan
  6. 6.Department of General MedicineOsaka University HospitalOsakaJapan
  7. 7.Center for Adult Diseases of OsakaOsakaJapan
  8. 8.Kansai Rosai HospitalAmagasakiJapan

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