B cell activating factor (BAFF) in the natural history of chronic hepatitis C virus liver disease and mixed cryoglobulinaemia

Abstract

SummaryB cell activating factor (BAFF) plays a crucial role in the process of development, maturation and activation of B lymphocytes. Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is characterized by multiple B cell disorders. It is a major cause of type II mixed cryoglobulinaemia (MC). We measured serum BAFF levels in several clinical situations to elucidate the potential role of BAFF in chronic HCV infection. We used a commercially available solid phase enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We estimated serum BAFF in stored sera from uninfected controls (n = 8), patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection HBV (n = 5) and chronic HCV infection with (n = 16) and without mixed cryoglobulinaemia (n = 14). In two patients with HCV and MC we correlated BAFF with HCV RNA after pegylated interferon (peg-I). We correlated serum BAFF levels at baseline and at 12 weeks with treatment response: sustained virological response SVR (n = 5), non-responders (n = 6) and relapsers (n = 2). Finally, we estimated BAFF levels after complete depletion of B cells with rituximab in patients with chronic HCV with MC (n = 3). Serum levels of BAFF were increased in chronic HCV with MC, but not in chronic HBV infection, suggesting an association between BAFF and cryoglobulinaemia. Peg-I increased BAFF levels in serum and this paralleled HCV RNA very closely. Serum BAFF levels at week 12 of therapy with peg-I and R were significantly higher in responders than non-responders. Finally, B cell depletion was associated with markedly increased levels of BAFF.

Interleukin-17A and B-cell activating factor in chronic hepatitis C patients with or without asymptomatic mixed cryoglobulinemia: effects of antiviral treatment and correlations with vitamin D

“…Suppressed cellular immunity against HCV may contribute to the development of chronic infection [ 5 , 33 ]. Similarly to what Lake-Bakaar et al described [ 34 ], the current study demonstrated that BAFF kinetics during antiviral treatment differed between responders and non-responders. On the other hand, unlike the earlier study, we included asymptomatic patients with MC and extended the investigation of BAFF kinetics to 6 months after the end of treatment.…”

Medical History, Lifestyle, Family History, and Occupational Risk Factors for Lymphoplasmacytic Lymphoma/Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia: The InterLymph Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Subtypes Project

“…HCV-positive LPL (40). HCV infection is believed to promote lymphomagenesis via chronic immune stimulation and elevated IgM levels (10,(41)(42)(43). Our finding of an inverse association between LPL/WM risk and personal history of hay fever is not consistent with prior studies that observed a positive (13,14) or no association (11,20) with individual allergic conditions or any allergy.…”

Seeking markers to distinguish HCV-Infected-autoimmune subjects from uninfected-autoimmune patients

“…Supportively, Egyptian juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients had significantly higher levels of BAFF that correlated with both clinical manifestations and disease activity [24]. The interrelationship between BAFF and HCV infection emerges from the capacity of virus to induce multiple B cell disorders while developing chronicity [25]. In concordance, an increasing association was found between BAFF-871C/T promoter polymorphism and HCVrelated mixed cryoglobulinemia [26].…”