The Changed Proportion of CD45RA⁺/CD45RO⁺T Cells in Chronic Hepatitis C Patients During Pegylated Interferon-α with Ribavirin Therapy

Abstract

Infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) may progress toward chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and liver cancer. A therapy for patients with chronic HCV infection is the combination of pegylated interferon-α with ribavirin, which increases the rate of sustained virological response (SVR) to 56%. However, a practical biomarker to predict SVR is lacking. T cells expressing the CD45RA isoform are considered naive, and antigenic stimulation converts them to CD45RO. CD45RO T cells exhibit immediate response and high lymphokine production, leading to the maintenance and upregulation of immune reactions. The aim of this study is to clarify the proportions of CD45RA and CD45RO T cells associated with rapid virological response and SVR. We collected blood samples from 32 HCV patients receiving the combined treatment. The samples were collected before, during 4th, 12th, and 24th therapy weeks, and 4th week posttherapy, and their T cell populations were analyzed using flow cytometry. Twenty-nine patients (90.6%) achieved SVR. There were significant declines in proportions of CD45RA cells during 4th, 12th, and 24th therapy weeks, and significant increases in proportions of CD45RO cells during 24th therapy week and 4th week posttherapy (P < 0.05). Patients undergoing hepatitis C therapy exhibited lowered CD45RA cell proportions and increased CD45RO cell proportions. This effect may be important in a patient's response to pegylated interferon-α with ribavirin therapy.