Correlation between TH1 response standard cytokines as biomarkers in patients with the delta virus in the western Brazilian Amazon

Abstract

Hepatitis D virus (HDV) is endemic in the Amazon Region and its pathophysiology is the most severe among viral hepatitis. Treatment is performed with pegylated interferon and the immune response appears to be important for infection control. HDV patients were studied: untreated and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) positive (n = 9), anti-HDV positive and PCR negative (n = 8), and responders to treatment (n = 12). The cytokines, interleukin (IL)-2 (p = 0.0008) and IL-12 (p = 0.02) were differentially expressed among the groups and were also correlated (p = 0.0143). Future studies will be conducted with patients at different stages of treatment, associating the viral load with serum cytokines produced, thereby attempting to establish a prognostic indicator of the infection.

The balance of type 1 and type 2 immune responses in the contexts of hepatitis B infection and hepatitis D infection

“…Here, HDV subjects contain lower IFN‐γ than HBV subjects. This aligns with reports of lower IFN‐γ in chronic HDV patients compared with patients with spontaneous clearance or response to pegylated IFN‐α therapy and aligns with recent in vitro and in vivo models of HDV infection . It is proposed that reduced cellular IFN‐γ induction could be due to antagonists produced by HDV or a negative feedback in IFN‐γ signaling .…”

“…There are a few emerging studies on HDV immunopathology. One highlighted the role of type 1 cytokines IL‐2, IL‐12, and IFN‐γ in the immune clearance of HDV . Another group highlighted the role of anti‐HDV IgM in disease progression and recently demonstrated HDV viral dominance to be associated with lower cytokine levels, suggestive of immune exhaustion .…”

“…Similar to HBV, lymphocytic infiltrate and necrosis are observed on liver biopsies of HDV patients . Reports have begun to assess cytokines and cell responses to HDV antigens in HDV patients . However, such findings have yet to be compared with HBV‐infected or healthy individuals.…”

Acquired hepatocerebral degeneration in a patient with hepatitis B and hepatitis delta virus coinfection

“…HDV is a hepatotropic RNA virus that requires HBsAg in order to assemble new viral particles 6 . Histological examination of the HDV-infected liver demonstrates hepatocellular necrosis and inflammation; these findings are indistinguishable from those caused by other acute or chronic liver diseases 7 . Probably because of that, the literature shows that the development of AHD fundamentally depends on the presence of advanced chronic liver disease, regardless of its etiology.…”

Human hepatitis D virus-specific T cell epitopes

“…However, this correlation between HDV-specific IFN-γ levels, ALT levels and HDV RNA was not significant. 86 Correlations between elevated serum IL2 and IL12 levels and response to IFN treatment 93 suggest that a T helper-1 (Th1)-polarised cellular immune response might be associated with viral clearance.…”