Hepatic Endotoxin Receptor CD14 Expression in Chronic Hepatitis C Patients with regard to rs2569190/C159T Genetic Variants

Objective: The single nucleotide polymorphism rs2569190 within the CD14 endotoxin (LPS) receptor gene was found to be associated with liver fibrosis progression in patients with alcoholic liver disease. Because of this association and further in vitro experiments the T allele is suggested to sensitize the liver for endogenous, gut-derived LPS via an enhanced hepatic CD14 expression. Materials and Methods: To investigate the relationship between the T allele gene variant and transcriptional activity in vivo, chronic hepatitis C patients were genotyped at the respective position and mRNA isolated from liver biopsy…