Related Experiment Videos
Hepatitis C virus-related liver damage is related to cold activation of complement
1Department of Internal Medicine, Shin-Kokura Hospital, Kitakyushu, Japan.
Insights
Cold activation of complement is linked to hepatitis C virus (HCV)-associated liver damage. This finding is useful for monitoring interferon treatment response in chronic hepatitis C patients.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Hepatology
- Virology
Background:
- Cold activation of complement is frequently observed in Japanese patients with hepatitis B virus-negative chronic hepatitis.
- The exact cause of cold activation of complement remains unknown, but hepatitis C virus (HCV) involvement is suspected.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the positivity of cold activation of complement in patients with chronic hepatitis C.
- To explore the relationship between cold activation of complement and HCV infection, liver damage, and interferon treatment response.
Main Methods:
- Studied cold activation of complement positivity in 253 patients, including 93 with chronic hepatitis C treated with interferon-alpha.
- Compared positivity rates across patient groups: chronic hepatitis C, liver cirrhosis C, asymptomatic HCV carriers, chronic hepatitis B, liver cirrhosis B, alcohol-related liver damage, and controls.
- Assessed cold activation in relation to interferon treatment response (HCV-RNA negativity, normalized alanine transaminase) and post-treatment relapse.
Main Results:
- Cold activation was positive in 38% of chronic hepatitis C patients and 46% of liver cirrhosis C patients.
- Cold activation was not detected in controls, asymptomatic HCV carriers, or patients with hepatitis B or alcohol-related liver damage.
- Positivity increased sharply in patients who relapsed after interferon treatment, and was negative in those who responded well to treatment.
Conclusions:
- HCV-associated liver damage is linked to the development of cold activation of complement.
- Cold activation of complement serves as a useful marker for monitoring interferon treatment response in chronic hepatitis C patients.
Abstract:
A high positivity of cold activation of complement has been reported in Japanese patients having hepatitis B virus-negative chronic hepatitis. Although the cause of cold activation of complement is unknown, the involvement of hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been suspected. We studied the positivity of cold activation of complement in 253 patients, including 93 patients with chronic hepatitis C infection who received 6MU natural interferon-alpha per day for 24 continuous weeks. Cold activation was positive in 38% of patients with chronic hepatitis C and in 46% of patients with liver cirrhosis C. We did not detect cold activation in asymptomatic HCV carriers; patients with chronic hepatitis B, liver cirrhosis B, or alcohol-related liver damage; or in the controls. Cold activation was also negative in HCV-RNA-negative patients who responded completely to interferon-alpha, and in HCV-RNA-positive patients who responded partially whose serum alanine transaminase levels were normalized after interferon treatment. In the patients who had a relapse of hepatitis C after interferon treatment, positivity of cold activation increased sharply. We conclude that HCV-associated liver damage is related to the development of cold activation of complement. Cold activation is useful for monitoring the response to interferon in patients with chronic hepatitis C infection.