Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV), a non-cytopathic positive-stranded RNA virus, is one of the most common causes of chronic liver diseases such as chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Upon HCV infection, the majority of patients fail to clear the virus and progress to chronic hepatitis C. Chemokines are small chemotactic cytokines that direct the recruitment of immune cells and coordinate immune responses upon viral infection. Chemokine production during acute HCV infection contributes to the recruitment of immune cells with antiviral effector functions and subsequent viral clearance. In chronic HCV infection, however, continuous production of chemokines due to persistent viral replication might result in incessant recruitment of inflammatory cells to the liver, giving rise to persistence of chronic inflammation and liver injury. In this review, we will summarize the roles of chemokines in acute and chronic settings of HCV infection and the clinical relevance of chemokines in the treatment of hepatitis C.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
