25 Ago Inflammatory biomarkers during HCV therapy

Increased levels (lvs) of chemokine interferon-γ-inducible protein-10 (CXCL10), soluble (s) CD163 and sCD14 have been reported in HCV infection. The aim of this study was to compare biomarkers lvs in HCV-infected patients (pts) undergoing direct acting antiviral (DAA) regimens with or without interferon (IFN).
sCD163, sCD14 and CXCL10 were measured by ELISA in 159 plasma samples from: 25 HCV-infected pts treated with IFN-based plus telaprevir or boceprevir, 28 HCV infected pts treated with DAA IFN-free regimens and 25 healthy donors (HD).
At baseline, all biomarkers lvs were higher in HCV-infected pts than in HD. CXCL10 and sCD163 lvs were significantly decreased in responder pts who achieved sustained virological response, with both therapies, while they were persistently elevated in non responders pts who stopped IFN-based treatment because of failure or adverse events. Conversely, sCD14 lvs were apparently unchanged during therapy. Comparing the two regimens, the extent of CXCL10 reduction was more pronounced in pts undergoing IFN-free therapy. At the end of therapy their lvs remained significantly higher compared to HD, only in the early fibrosis stages, sCD163 lvs tended to normalize.
These results indicate that IFN-free regimens induce an early and marked decrease in circulating inflammatory biomarkers. However, the full normalization of biomarkers was not obtained, especially in pts with advanced fibrosis, thus underlying the need of an early therapy for HCV infection.