Possible mechanism involving T-lymphocyte response to non-structural protein 3 in viral clearance in acute hepatitis C virus infection

• Published in: The Lancet (British edition) Vol. 346; no. 8981; p. 1006
• Main Authors: Diepolder, H M, Zachoval, R, Hoffmann, R M, Wierenga, E A, Santantonio, T, Jung, M C, Eichenlaub, D, Pape, G R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 14-10-1995
• Subjects: Acute Disease; Adult; Aged; Antibodies, Viral - immunology; Genotype; Hepacivirus - genetics; Hepacivirus - immunology; Hepatitis C - immunology; Humans; Leukocytes, Mononuclear - immunology; Middle Aged; T-Lymphocytes - immunology; Viral Nonstructural Proteins - immunology
• ISSN: 0140-6736
• DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(95)91691-1

In acute hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection only 20-50% of patients spontaneously clear the virus. To characterise the immune reaction during that phase we studied the response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) to the recombinant HCV proteins core, non-structural protein 3 (NS3), NS4, and NS5 in 14 patients with acute hepatitis C. All eight patients with self-limited disease compared with two of six with evolving chronic infection showed an NS3- specific PBMC response (p = 0.015). Of 65 patients with established chronic hepatitis C, five showed a PBMC response to NS3. NS3-specific CD4 T-cell clones from patients with self-limited infection predominantly produced interferon-gamma and may thus support cytotoxic effector mechanisms important for viral clearance.