N. Yuki et al., HEPATITIS-C VIRUS-REPLICATION AND ANTIBODIES TO STRUCTURAL AND NONSTRUCTURAL VIRAL-PROTEINS IN CHRONIC HEPATITIS-C, Journal of hepatology, 20(3), 1994, pp. 421-425
The correlation between hepatitis C virus replication and antibodies t
o both structural (core) and nonstructural (C100-3) hepatitis C virus
proteins (anti-HCV core and anti-C100-3, respectively) was assessed. T
he concentration of serum hepatitis C virus RNA was determined by a co
mpetitive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction assay, and a
ntibody titers were determined by endpoint dilution. No correlation wa
s found between viremic levels and antibody titers in 42 chronic hepat
itis C patients. At the end of a 6-month course of interferon-a therap
y, Is patients became negative for hepatitis C virus RNA. In the other
24 patients, post-treatment viremic levels ranged from 10(-6.5)-10(0.
5) Of pretreatment levels. Both anti-C100-3 and anti-HCV core frequent
ly decreased in patients whose viremic levels dropped to the negative
range or to <10(-2) of pretreatment levels. Anti-C100-3 decreased in a
ll such cases (25/25), while anti-HCV core decreased in 18/25 (72%) (p
<0.01), indicating that anti-C100-3 is more likely to decrease followi
ng suppression of Viral replication than anti-HCV core. These data sug
gest that hepatitis C virus antibodies may serve as a marker of suppre
ssion of viremia following interferon therapy even in patients who do
not clear the virus. (C) Journal of Hepatology.