Genetic predictors of the response to the treatment of hepatitis C virus infection

Abstract

The genome-wide association studies have identified a strong association between interleukin 28B (IL28B) gene polymorphisms and the response to treatment in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The aim of the study was to evaluate the association between three most widely studied IL28B gene polymorphisms and the response to antiviral treatment of chronic hepatitis C. We performed the genotyping of the three IL28B gene polymorphisms: rs12979860, rs8099917, and rs12980275 in 72 Caucasian patients with chronic hepatitis C, previously treated with the combination therapy of pegylated interferon alpha (PEGIFN α) and ribavirin (RBV). The patients included in the study had finished the treatment regimen at least 6 months before enrolling in the study. We used the sustained viral response (SVR) for the evaluation of the effectiveness of the antiviral treatment, and it was tested with an assay with a sensitivity of 20 IU/mL. An SVR was achieved in 59.7% (43/72) of the treated patients. The three IL28B gene polymorphisms (CC genotype of rs12979860, TT genotype of rs8099917, and AA genotype of rs12980275) were associated with the SVR (p=0.029, p=0.016, and p=0.028, respectively) in the study patients with chronic hepatitis C treated with the combination therapy of PEGIFN α and RBV. The association of IL28B gene polymorphisms with the treatment response points to the possibility of personalized medicine for the treatment of HCV infection.

Interferon-γ inducible protein-10 and interleukin 28B gene polymorphism as predictive markers for genotype 4 hepatitis C virus treatment response

“…Unfortunately, this therapy is expensive and the continued PEG-IFNα/RBV therapy often associated with serious side eects (Sharma, 2010). Drug resistance was the most serious side effect that reflects bad clinical outcome (Dzekova-Vidimliski et al, 2015).…”

“…Unfortunately, this therapy is expensive and the extended peginterferon and ribavirin therapy often accompanied with serious side effects (Sharma, 2010). Drug resistance is the most serious side effect that reflects bad clinical outcome (Dzekova-Vidimliski et al, 2015). Many studies have spotted several factors that related with the resistance to PEG-IFNα/RBV therapy and development of post-treatment decline (Tsubota et al, 2011).…”

Thyroid Dysfunction Related to Interferon in Turkish Patients with Viral Hepatitis: Incidence and Influencing Factors

“…When former studies are examined, results showing that factors such as CHC genotype, thyroid auto-antibodies, and response to IFN therapy may be effective in TD development are observed to be reported (12,(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22).…”

Factors That Influence the Virological Response in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C Treated with Pegylated Interferon and Ribavirin

“…The severity of liver damage, as well as the success of the antiviral therapy depend on factors related to the virus (genotype and viremia) and factors related to the host [6]. The most common factors related to the host are the age, gender, genetic variations, alcohol consumption, impact of other toxins, immune status, coinfection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, metabolic disorders such as increased insulin resistance (IR), obesity, abnormalities in lipid metabolism, fatty liver (steatosis), metabolic syndrome (MS), and others [7][8][9]. According to the data from the literature, IR is independent of visceral fat tissue, hepatic steatosis and genotype of the virus [10].…”