Changes of inflammatory cytokines/chemokines during ravidasvir plus ritonavir-boosted danoprevir and ribavirin therapy for patients with genotype 1b hepatitis C infection.

Abstract

This study investigated the safety and efficacy of ravidasvir (RDV) plus ritonavir-boosted danoprevir (DNVr) and ribavirin (RBV) regimens for treatment-naïve non-cirrhotic patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1b in mainland China. We also gained insight into HCV-host interactions during anti-HCV treatment. 16patients with HCV and 10 healthy people enrolled the study. Threeof 16 patients received 12-weeks' placebo treatment first and served as the placebo controls. All (n = 16) patients received 12-weeks' RDV plus DNVr and RBV treatment. The adverse effects (AEs), viral loads, alanine transaminase,and aspartate aminotransferasewere recorded during study. We also performed multianalyte profiling of 48 cytokines/chemokines in 16 patients with HCV and 10 normal controls. Seventy-five percent patients treated with RDV plus DNVr and RBV experienced AEs. No death, treatment-related serious AEs or AEs leading to discontinuation were reported. The serum HCV-RNA levels remained extremely high in 3placebo controls after treated with placebo. After RDV plus DNVr and RBV treatment, all patients achieved sustained virologic response (SVR) at posttreatment week 12, but 1patient experienced viral relapse at SVR 24. The cytokine/chemokine expression pattern was markedly altered in patients with HCV as compared withhealthy controls. The interferon-inducible protein-10 (IP-10) decreased after anti-HCV treatment, and dramatically increased in one patient with viral relapse. The regimen of RDV and DNVr plus RBV represents a highly safe and effective treatment option for HCV patients in mainland China. The IP-10 has the potential to be an indicator of innate immune viral recognition.