IL28B predicts the response to HCV treatment

Response to treatment in Brazilian patients with chronic hepatitis C is associated with a single-nucleotide polymorphism near the interleukin-28B gene

Tarciana Grandi 1,2,

Cláudia Maria Dornelles da Silva 1,3,4,

Karine Medeiros Amaral 5 ,

Paulo Dornelles Picon 5 ,

Cintia Costi 1 ,

Nicole Nascimento da Fré 1 ,

Marilu Fiegenbaum 6,7,8,

Christian Niel 9 ,

Maria Lucia Rosa Rossetti 1,2,4/ +

Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Vol. 108(1): 48-53, February 2013

ABSTRACT

A single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) upstream of interleukin (IL)28B was recently identified as an important predictor of the outcome of chronic hepatitis C patients treated with pegylated interferon plus ribavirin (PEG-IFN/ RBV). The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the IL28B gene polymorphism (rs12979860) and virological response in chronic hepatitis C patients. Brazilian patients (n = 263) who were infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 and were receiving PEG-IFN/RBV were genotyped. Early virological response (EVR) (12 weeks), end-of-treatment response (EOTR) (48 weeks), sustained virological response (SVR) (72 weeks) and relapse were evaluated using conventional and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays. The frequency of the C allele in the population was 39%. Overall, 43% of patients experienced SVR. The IL28B CC genotype was significantly associated with higher treatment response rates and a lower relapse rate compared to the other genotypes [84% vs. 58% EVR, 92% vs. 63% EOTR, 76% vs. 38% SVR and 17% vs. 40% relapse rate in CC vs. other genotypes (CT and TT), respectively]. Thus, the IL28B genotype appears to be a strong predictor of SVR following PEG-IFN/ RBV therapy in treatment-naïve Brazilian patients infected with HCV genotype 1. This study, together with similar research examining other SNPs, should help to define adequate protocols for the treatment of patients infected with HCV genotype 1, especially those with a poor prognosis.

Centro de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Fundação Estadual de Produção e Pesquisa em Saúde, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil 2 Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Celular e Molecular, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil 3 Programa de Pós-Graduação em Diagnóstico Genético e Molecular 4 Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética e Toxicologia Aplicada, Universidade Luterana do Brasil, Canoas, RS, Brasil 5 Centro de Aplicação e Monitorização de Medicamentos Injetáveis, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil 6 Programa de Pós-Graduação em Patologia 7 Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil 8 Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biociências e Reabilitação, Centro Universitário Metodista, Instituto Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil 9 Laboratório de Virologia Molecular, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil

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