Hepatocyte steatosis is a cytopathic effect of hepatitis C virus genotype 3
Section snippets
Patient populations
A total of 101 patients were studied. A first group consisted of 70 immunocompetent patients with persistent HCV infection, as documented by the presence of HCV RNA in serum detected by a 2nd generation qualitative RT-PCR assay (Amplicor™, Roche, Switzerland; sensitivity limit 100 copies/ml) for at least 6 months, and histologically-proven chronic hepatitis. There were 38 males and 32 females. The median age was 44.1 years (range 19–67). All patients lacked factors likely to be associated with
Immunocompetent chronic hepatitis C patients: virological correlations
Among the 70 immunocompetent chronic hepatitis C patients, 28 (40%) had liver steatosis with scores of 1 (18 cases), 2 (4 cases) or 3 (6 cases). Patients with or without steatosis had similar male to female ratio, mean age and route of infection (Table 1). HGV RNA was tested in 40 patients and found in the serum of 2/18 patients with steatosis and of 2/22 patients without steatosis (p=0.75) (Table 1). Steatotic patients were less likely than non-steatotic patients to be infected with HCV
Discussion
We have shown that the liver steatosis score is significantly higher in chronic hepatitis C patients infected with HCV genotype 3 than in case of infection with other viral genotypes, and that the highest levels of correlation between steatosis score and intrahepatic HCV RNA titer are reached when only patients infected with HCV genotype 3 (but not patients with genotype 1) are considered. Similarly, the occurrence of severe steatosis of the liver after OLT is associated with infection with HCV
Acknowledgements
This work was partially supported by contracts nos. 32-42556-94 (to A.H.) and 3200-052193.97/1 (to F.N.) from the Swiss National Science Foundation, a grant from the Fondation Cancer-Solidaritè, Genève (to K.A.) and a Schering-Plough unrestricted educational grant. The authors thank Lelio Orci, Ferruccio Bonino and Jean-Michel Pawlotsky for advice and criticism and Joachim Brault, Colette Rossier and Marilyne Baud for their skilled technical help.
References (42)
- et al.
Sensitivity, specificity and predictability of biopsy interpretations in chronic hepatitis
Gastroenterology
(1993) - et al.
Host- and disease-specific factors affecting steatosis in chronic hepatitis C
J Hepatol
(1998) - et al.
Detection of hepatitis C virus RNA in liver tissues by an in situ hybridization technique
J Hepatol
(1993) - et al.
Detection of intrahepatic hepatitis C virus replication by strand-specific semi-quantitative RT-PCR. Preliminary application to the liver transplantation model
J Hepatol
(1998) - et al.
Single-step method of RNA isolation by acid guanidinium thiocyanate-phenol-chloroform extraction
Anal Biochem
(1987) - et al.
Characterization of cell lines allowing tightly regulated expression of hepatitis C virus core protein
Virology
(1996) - et al.
Clinical implications of GBV-C/HGV infection in patients with“HCV-related” chronic hepatitis
J Hepatol
(1997) - et al.
Steatohepatitis, spontaneous peroxisome proliferation and liver tumors in mice lacking peroxisomal fatty acyl-CoA oxidase. Implications for peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor alpha natural ligand metabolism
J Biol Chem
(1998) - et al.
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha-isoform deficiency leads to progressive dyslipidemia with sexually dimorphic obesity and steatosis
J Biol Chem
(1998) - et al.
Regulatory factors in the development of fatty infiltration of the liver during gram-negative sepsis
Metabolism
(1994)
Iron storage, lipid peroxydation and glutathione turnover in chronic anti-HCV positive hepatitis
J Hepatol
Iron overload in patients with chronic hepatitis C: a clinicopathologic study
Hum Pathol
Long-term mortality after transfusion-associated non-A, non-B hepatitis
N Engl J Med
The pathology of hepatitis C
Hepatology
The histological features of chronic hepatitis C and autoimmune chronic hepatitis: a comparative analysis
Hepatology
Histopathology of hepatitis C virus infection
Semin Liver Dis
Histopathologic findings in chronic hepatitis C
J Hepatol
Analysis of histopathological manifestations of chronic hepatitis C virus infection with respect to virus genotype
Hepatology
Hepatitis C virus core protein shows a cytoplasmic localization and associates to cellular lipid storage droplets
Proc Natl Acad Sci USA
Hepatitis C virus core protein induces hepatic steatosis in transgenic mice
J Gen Virol
Detection of genomic- and minus-strand of hepatitis C virus RNA in the liver of chronic hepatitis C patients by strand-specific semi-quantitative RT-PCR
Hepatology
Cited by (545)
Bioactive signalling lipids as drivers of chronic liver diseases
2024, Journal of HepatologyMechanisms and clinical relevance of the bidirectional relationship of viral infections with metabolic diseases
2023, The Lancet Diabetes and EndocrinologyGenotype 4 hepatitis C virus-a review of a diverse genotype
2023, Advances in Medical SciencesPathologic features and differential diagnosis of chronic hepatitis
2023, Diagnostic HistopathologyMolecular mechanisms underlying hepatitis C virus infection-related diabetes
2021, Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental