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Article Type

Original Study

Abstract

Objective The aim of this work was to study the effect of treatment with sofosbuvir, ribavirin, and interferon on the level of interferon-γ-inducible protein-10 (IP-10) and to determine its role in hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients with liver cirrhosis. Background IP-10 is a small cytokine belonging to the CXC chemokine secreted by several cell types in response to interferons (interferon-γ). IP-10 has been attributed to several roles, such as chemoattraction for monocytes, macrophages, T cells, natural killer cells, and dendritic cells, promotion of T cell adhesion to endothelial cells, antitumor activity, and inhibition of bone marrow colony formation and angiogenesis. Patients and methods The study was conducted on 27 hepatitis C patients with cirrhosis and 15 age-matched and sex-matched healthy individuals. Serum levels of IP-10 were measured in patients using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique three times: before beginning the treatment, after 1 week of treatment, and finally after 3 months of treatment. IP-10 levels were statistically analyzed in relation to liver cirrhosis and treatment outcome. Results IP-10 serum levels were highly elevated in patients when compared with healthy people. Serum IP-10 was significantly higher before beginning HCV treatment and then decreased after 1 week of treatment, and it was markedly decreased after 3 months of treatment. Conclusion IP-10 had a fundamental role in the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis and cirrhosis as it was significantly elevated in cirrhotic patients. Furthermore, there was a significant reduction in serum IP-10 concentration following a successful course of HCV treatment.

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