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Progesterone suppresses interferon signaling by repressing TLR-7 and MxA expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients infected with hepatitis C virus

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Abstract

This study aimed at investigating the effect of progesterone on interferon signaling pathways in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). PBMCs were isolated from peripheral blood of 38 treatment-naïve HCV-infected patients, pooled, and stimulated with progesterone in the presence and absence of its receptor antagonist, mifepristone, along with interferon alpha (IFN-α) or imiquimod. Toll-like receptor (TLR) 7 and myxovirus resistance protein A (MxA) were quantified in PBMCs using RT-qPCR. Imiquimod alone or combined with progesterone did not change MxA expression in HCV-infected PBMCs. Progesterone decreased the inducing effect of IFN-α on TLR-7 expression in both males and females. Moreover, progesterone stimulation prior to IFN-α treatment attenuated the Jak/STAT pathway, which was reflected by decreased expression of MxA in females. Progesterone showed a negative impact on the IFN signaling pathway in HCV-infected PBMCs as it decreased the expression of TLR-7 in both genders, while MxA expression was decreased only in females.

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Acknowledgment

This work was funded by the German University in Cairo postgraduate fund.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Molecular Pathology Research Group, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, German University in Cairo, Cairo, Egypt

    Sara S. Tayel, Nabila Hamdi & Ahmed Ihab Abdelaziz

  2. Department of Endemic Medicine and Hepatology, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt

    Amal A. Helmy, Rasha Ahmed & Gamal Esmat

Authors
  1. Sara S. Tayel
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  2. Amal A. Helmy
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  3. Rasha Ahmed
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  4. Gamal Esmat
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  5. Nabila Hamdi
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  6. Ahmed Ihab Abdelaziz
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Correspondence to Ahmed Ihab Abdelaziz.

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Tayel, S.S., Helmy, A.A., Ahmed, R. et al. Progesterone suppresses interferon signaling by repressing TLR-7 and MxA expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients infected with hepatitis C virus. Arch Virol 158, 1755–1764 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-013-1673-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-013-1673-z

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