To date, only a limited number of studies have reported finding an influence of ordinary nutrients on hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA replication. However, the effects of other nutrients on HCV RNA replication remain largely unknown. We recently developed a reporter assay system for genome-length HCV RNA replication in hepatoma-derived HuH-7 cells (OR6). Here, using this OR6 assay system, we comprehensively examined 46 nutrients from four nutrient groups: vitamins, amino acids, fatty acids, and salts. We found that three nutrients--carotene, vitamin D 2 , and linoleic acid-inhibited HCV RNA replication and that their combination caused additive and/or synergistic effects on HCV RNA replication. In addition, combined treatment with each of the three nutrients and interferon alpha or beta or fluvastatin inhibited HCV RNA replication in an additive manner, while combined treatment with cyclosporine synergistically inhibited HCV RNA replication. In contrast, we found that vitamin E enhanced HCV RNA replication and negated the effects of the three anti-HCV nutrients and cyclosporine but not those of interferon or fluvastatin. These results will provide useful information for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C patients who also take anti-HCV nutrients as an adjunctive therapy in combination with interferon. In conclusion, among the ordinary nutrients tested, -carotene, vitamin D 2 , and linoleic acid possessed anti-HCV activity in a cell culture system, and these nutrients are therefore considered to be potential candidates for enhancing the effects of interferon therapy.Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major pathogen of chronic hepatitis (CH) and leads to fatal liver diseases, such as liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (1,23,38). Approximately 170 million people worldwide are infected with HCV (40). Therefore, HCV infection is a global health problem. The combination of pegylated interferon (IFN) with ribavirin is currently the most effective therapy for CH C (11, 28), and long-term treatment has been shown to improve the sustained virological response (SVR) rate (37). However, the SVR rate still remains at approximately 55% (11). Combination therapy occasionally also causes adverse effects, such as severe anemia (10) and cerebral vascular lesions (7), and reduction of the dosage leads to insufficient treatment. These adverse effects are more serious in older patients. Therefore, it remains necessary to identify alternative agents that have fewer side effects to couple with IFN. In developing countries, it is difficult to administer expensive IFN therapy. Hence, in such countries, inexpensive anti-HCV reagents are especially desirable (36).The lack of a small-animal model and a cell culture system to support efficient HCV RNA replication hampered the development of anti-HCV reagents. Since an HCV subgenomic replicon system was developed in 1999 (25), the mechanism of HCV RNA replication has been gradually elucidated by a number of groups (2). However, this subgenomic replicon system may not necessarily reflect ...