Rapid virological response is associated with increased pretreatment Th1 type cytokine production of Toll-like receptor 4 stimulated monocytes in HCV1 patients

Aims: In chronic HCV hepatitis rapid viral decline over four weeks of IFN and ribavirin treatment is the best predictor of sustained virological response. As less is known of the immunologic basis of rapid virological response we compared the phenotypes and cytokine production of peripheral blood mononuclear cells of rapid, slow and non-responders before treatment initiation. Methods: Fifty patients with chronic HCV hepatitis before and at 1 and 3 months of PEG-IFN+ribavirin treatment were studied. The percentage of CD4, CD8, CD56, CD19, Treg, CD14 cells and TNF-alpha, IL-2, IL-6, IFN-gamma, IL-4, IL-10 producti…