Removal of Hepatitis C Virus by G-1 Beads in Sera from Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C

Abstract

Recently, a new method of extracorporeal granulocyte depletion apheresis has been developed to treat inflammatory systemic diseases using an Adacolumn (Japan Immunoresearch Laboratories, Takasaki, Japan) that is filled with acetate cellulose beads (G-1 beads) to adsorb the granulocytes. We examined whether hepatitis C virus (HCV) is adsorbed after incubation of the Adacolumn with the sera from patients with HCV-RNA-positive chronic hepatitis C. Patients and Methods: A total of 10 patients with chronic hepatitis C, whose levels of HCV RNA were greater than 800 kIU/ml were examined. The serum was incubated with 500 G-1 beads in a syringe at 37°C for 1 h. After removal of the serum, the beads were washed with RNase-free water. The G-1 beads were removed from the syringe after centrifugation. RNA was extracted from 200 µl of the wash waste and from 10, 50, 100 and 200 beads, respectively, using TRIZol regent. Detection of HCV RNA was performed using the nested PCR method. Results: HCV RNA was detected from as few as 10 G-1 beads. HCV RNA was not detected from waste fluid collected after the last wash from any of the patients. Further, HCV RNA was detected in the initial waste fluid after the 37°C incubation with serum in all of the patients. Since HCV RNA was detected on the G-1 beads, but not from the last washing solution in the current examination, these results suggest that the G-1 beads adsorbed HCV RNA. Conclusions: Our in vitro study confirmed that G-1 beads adsorbed HCV; therefore, apheresis using a column filled with G-1 beads may reduce the HCV RNA load in the blood of patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Double filtration plasmapheresis and interferon combination therapy for chronic hepatitis C patients with genotype 1 and high viral load

“…found that hemodialysis, hemofiltration and peritoneal dialysis in chronic dialysis patients infected with HCV produced significantly lower HCV‐RNA levels in the blood 12 . There are reports of combined granulocyte apheresis with IFN therapy for chronic hepatitis C, 13–15 and also reports claiming that early reduction of the virus is important in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C 16,17 . Thus, the potential effectiveness of IFN therapy combined with early virus removal by a physical method is of particular interest.…”

“…11 Ishida et al found that hemodialysis, hemofiltration and peritoneal dialysis in chronic dialysis patients infected with HCV produced significantly lower HCV-RNA levels in the blood. 12 There are reports of combined granulocyte apheresis with IFN therapy for chronic hepatitis C, [13][14][15] and also reports claiming that early reduction of the virus is important in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C. 16,17 Thus, the potential effectiveness of IFN therapy combined with early virus removal by a physical method is of particular interest. Moreover, Sakai et al reported the mechanism of clinical results by plasmapheresis whereby HCV in the blood was related to the treatment effects of IFN therapy, which could be enhanced by removing the virus from the blood.…”

Double-Filtration Plasmapheresis plus IFN for HCV-1b Patients with Non-Sustained Virological Response to Previous Combination Therapy: Early Viral Dynamics

“…Hemodialysis, hemofiltration and peritoneal dialysis in chronic dialysis patients infected with HCV significantly lower HCV RNA levels in the blood [16] . Combined granulocyte apheresis with IFN therapy for CHC [17][18][19] and the prerequisite for early reduction of the virus in the treatment of CHC [20,21] are essential. Thus, the potential effectiveness of IFN therapy combined with early physical removal of the virus is of particular interest.…”