Abstract
To characterize the role of serum soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, the level of sIL-2R was measured by ELISA in 117 subjects with chronic HCV infection and in 23 healthy controls. HCV RNA was detected by polymerase chain reaction in all subjects with HCV infection. Forty-seven patients with chronic hepatitis and 10 with liver cirrhosis were treated for six months with natural interferon-α. The sIL-2R levels of 40 asymptomatic HCV carriers (632±340 units/ml), 47 patients with chronic hepatitis (547±204 units/ml), 10 with cirrhosis (679±239 units/ml), and 20 with hepatocellular carcinoma (1145±487 units/ml) were significantly higher than those of healthy controls (380±191 units/ml) (P<0.05, respectively). The levels of sIL-2R increased, as did the histological activity index scores (r=0.348,P<0.01). The level of sIL-2R rose after the initial administration of interferon in all 57 patients. In patients in whom HCV RNA was eliminated from the sera within a six-month follow-up after cessation of treatment, the level of sIL-2R reverted to basal values, but in patients in whom HCV RNA was not eliminated the value was significantly higher than that before treatment. These results suggest that monitoring serum sIL-2R in patients with chronic HCV infection treated with interferon may provide information concerning the possibility of the elimination of HCV RNA.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Robb RJ, Greene WC, Rusk CM: Low and high affinity cellular receptors for interleukin 2. Implications for the level of Tac antigen. J Exp Med 160:1126–1146, 1984
Nelson DL, Rubin LA, Kurman CC, Fritz ME, Boutin B: An analysis of the cellular requirements for the production of soluble interleukin-2 receptorin vitro. J Clin Immunol 6:114–120, 1986
Rubin LA, Jay G, Nelson DL: The released interleukin 2 receptor binds interleukin 2 efficiently. J Immunol 137:3841–3844, 1986
Lai KN, Leung JCK, Tam JS, et al: T lymphocyte activation in chronic hepatitis B infection: Interleukin 2 release and its receptor expression. Am J Gastroenterol 84:1532–1537, 1989
Hayashi J, Nakashima K, Yoshimura E, et al: Detection of HCV RNA in subjects with antibody to hepatitis C virus among the general population of Fukuoka, Jpn J Gastroenterol 29:147–151, 1994
Hayashi J, Nakashima K, Kishihara Y, et al: Improved detection of antibodies to hepatitis C virus by the second-generation assay in patients with chronic non-A, non-B liver disease. J Infect 26:287–294, 1993
Davis GL, Balart LA, Schiff ER, et al: Treatment of chronic hepatitis C with recombinant interferon alfa: A multi-center randomised, controlled trial. N Engl J Med 321:1501–1506, 1989
Kakumu S, Arao M, Yoshioka K, et al: Recombinant human alfa interferon therapy for chronic non-A, non-B hepatitis: Second report. Am J Gastroenterol 85:655–659, 1990
Castilla A, Camps-Bansell J, Civeria MP, et al: Lymphoblastoid alfa interferon for chronic hepatitis C: A randomized controlled study. Am J Gastroenterol 88:233–239, 1993
Hayashi J, Ohmiya M, Kishihara Y, et al: A statistical analysis of predictive factors of response to human lymphoblastoid interferon in patients with chronic hepatitis C. Am J Gastroenterol 89:2151–2156, 1994
Alberti A, Chemello L, Fattovich G, et al: Serum levels of soluble interleukin-2 receptors in acute and chronic viral hepatitis. Dig Dis Sci 34:1559–1563, 1989
Leung NWY, Leung JCK, Tam JS, et al: Effects of alfa-interferon and predonine on serum-soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) in chronic hepatitis B infection. Am J Gastroenterol 87:113–117, 1992
Knodell RG, Ishak KG, Black WC, et al: Formulation and application of a numerical scoring system for assessing histological activity in asymptomatic chronic active hepatitis. Hepatology 1:431–435, 1981
Lai KN, Leung JCK, Li PKT, et al: Cytokine production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells in IgA nephropathy. Clin Exp Immunol 85:240–245, 1991
Kato N, Yokosuka O, Hosoda K, et al: Quantitation of hepatitis C virus by competitive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction: Increase of the virus in advanced liver disease. Hepatology 18:16–20, 1993
Yasuda N, Lai PK, Iq SH, et al: Soluble interferon 2 receptors in sera of Japanese patients with adult T cell leukemia mark activity of disease. Blood 71:1021–1026, 1988
Greene WC, Leonard WJ, Depper JM, et al: The human interleukin-2 receptor: Normal and abnormal expression in T cells and in leukemias induced by the human T-lymphotropic retroviruses. Ann Intern Med 105:560–572, 1986
Tsudo M, Uchiyama T, Uchino H, et al: Failure of regulation of Tac antigen/TCGF receptor on adult T cell leukemia by anti-Tac monoclonal antibody. Blood 61:1014–1016, 1983
Harrington L, Affleck G, Urrows S, et al: Temporal covariation of soluble interleukin-2 receptor levels, daily stress, and disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Rheum 36:199–203, 1993
Lai CKW, Chan CHS, Leung JCK, et al: Serum concentration of soluble interleukin 2 receptors in asthma: Correlation with disease activity. Chest 103:782–786, 1993
Rubin LA, Kurman CC, Fritz ME, et al: Soluble interleukin 2 receptors are released from activated human lymphoid cells in vitro. J Immunol 135:3172–3177, 1985
Diens HP, Popper H, Arnold W, et al: Histologic observations in human hepatitis non-A, non-B. Hepatology 2:562–571, 1982
Eddleston ALWF, Williams R: Inadequate antibody response to HBsAg or suppressor T cell defect in development of chronic active hepatitis. Lancet 2:1543–1545, 1974
Hayashi J, Kishihara Y, Yoshimura E, et al: Relationship of genotype to level of hepatitis C viraemia determined by competitive polymerase chain reaction. J Infect 30:1995 (in press)
Alberti A, Morsica G, Chemello L, et al: Hepatitis C viraemia and liver disease in symptom-free individuals with anti-HCV. Lancet 340:697–698, 1992
Naito M, Hayashi N, Hagiwara H, et al: Serum hepatitis C virus RNA quantity and histological features of hepatitis C virus carriers with persistently normal ALT levels. Hepatology 19:871–875, 1994
Hagiwara H, Hayashi N, Mita E, et al: Detection of hepatitis C virus RNA in serum of patients with chronic hepatitis C treated with interferon alfa. Hepatology 15:37–41, 1992
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hayashi, J., Kishihara, Y., Yamaji, K. et al. Serum levels of soluble interleukin-2 receptors and effects of interferon-α for patients with chronic hepatitis C virus. Digest Dis Sci 40, 1837–1841 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02212710
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02212710