INTERLEUKIN-8 AND HIRH (SDF1-ALPHA PBSF) MESSENGER-RNA EXPRESSION ANDHISTOLOGICAL ACTIVITY INDEX IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC HEPATITIS-C/

Recombinant human intercrine reduced in hepatomas (hIRH)/stromal cell- derived factor 1 (SDF1-alpha)/pre-B-cell growth-stimulating factor (PB SF), anew chemokine, exhib its an in vitro chemotaxis to neutrophils a nd a mixed in viva chemotactic activity to neutrophils, lymphocytes, a nd monocytes in a rat intradermal injection model. We have investigate d the messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of interleukin-8 (IL-8) and hIRH , in chronic hepatitis C of differing severity Levels of expression of IL-8 and hIRH mRNA obtained from 37 human liver biopsy samples were m easured by reverse-transcription and semiquantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) amplification, We examined the correlation between mRNA expression and components of the histological activity index (HAI ). Patients with HAI greater than or equal to 8 had a significantly hi gher corrected IL-8 mRNA expression ratio (0.24 +/- 0.13 [mean +/- SD] ; n = 20) than those with HAI less than or equal to 7 (0.05 +/- 0.03; n = 17; P < .0001). Additionally, IL-8 mRNA expression was strongly as sociated with the severity of portal inflammation (PI) thigh PI vs. lo w PI, 0.22 +/- 0.14 vs. 0.05 +/- 0.04; P < .0001) and with the presenc e of bile duct lesions (0.29 +/- 0.15 vs. 0.11 +/- 0.1; P < .01). In c ontrast, hIRH mRNA expression was not associated with the total HAI, a ny components of the HAI, or bile duct inflammation or injury. These r esults suggest that hIRH, although having the -CXC-, alpha chemokine m otif, and exhibiting in vivo and in vitro inflammatory activity as doe s IL-8, plays a different role from IL-8 in hepatic inflammation and i njury IL-8 expression is directly associated with inflammation in pati ents with chronic hepatitis C, while hIRH expression does not correlat e with histopathological severity of inflammation.