Abstract
An inefficient immune response against the hepatitis C virus (HCV), combined with viral evasion mechanisms, is responsible for the chronicity of infection. The need to evaluate the innate mechanisms of the immune response, such as TLR3 and IFN-λ3, and their relationship with the virus–host interaction is important for understanding the pathogenesis of chronic hepatitis C. The present study aimed to investigate the gene expressions of TRL3 and IFNL3 in liver tissue, seeking to evaluate whether these could be potential biomarkers of HCV infection. A total of 23 liver biopsy samples were collected from patients with chronic HCV, and 8 biopsies were collected from healthy control patients. RNA extraction, reverse transcription and qPCR were performed to quantify the relative gene expressions of TLR3 and IFNL3. Data on the viral load; AST, ALT, GGT and AFP levels; and the viral genotype were collected from the patients′ medical records. The intrahepatic expression of TLR3 (p = 0.0326) was higher in chronic HCV carriers than in the control group, and the expression of IFNL3 (p = 0.0037) was lower in chronic HCV carriers than in the healthy control group. The expression levels of TLR3 (p = 0.0030) and IFNL3 (p = 0.0036) were higher in the early stages of fibrosis and of necroinflammatory activity in the liver; in contrast, TLR3 and IFNL3 expressions were lower in the more advanced stages of fibrosis and inflammation. There was no correlation between the gene expression and the serum viral load. Regarding the initial METAVIR scale scores, liver transaminase levels were lower in patients with advanced fibrosis when correlated with TLR3 and IFNL3 gene expressions. The results suggest that in the early stages of the development of hepatic fibrosis, TLR3 and IFN-λ3 play important roles in the antiviral response and in the modulation of the tolerogenic liver environment because there is a decrease in the intrahepatic expressions of TLR3 and IFNL3 in the advanced stages of fibrosis, probably due to viral evasion mechanisms.
Highlights
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.The estimated global prevalence of hepatitis C is 2.5%, equivalent to 80 million infected people [1]
The liver biopsy samples were separated into 2 parts: 1 that was sent for genetic analysis at the Laboratory of Virology of the Institute of Biological Sciences (ICB) at the Federal University of Pará (UFPA), and 1 that was examined by the Department of Pathological Anatomy of UFPA, where the samples were subjected to hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), chromotrope aniline blue (CAB), Gomori’s reticulin and Shikata’s orcein staining, followed by histopathological diagnosis based on the classifications of the Brazilian Society of Hepatology and the French
To reinforce the findings that were found in the heatmap, the intrahepatic expressions of Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) (Figure 3B) and IFNL3 were analyzed based on the necroinflammatory activity score patients
Summary
After 4–8 weeks, the viral load begins to decrease, and HCV-specific T cells begin to be recruited to the liver At this time, the exacerbated production of IFN can lead to liver damage due to constant inflammation, increasing ALT levels and triggering the process of liver fibrosis [15]. The exacerbated production of IFN can lead to liver damage due to constant inflammation, increasing ALT levels and triggering the process of liver fibrosis [15] In this sense, the present study evaluated TLR3 and IFNL3 gene expression levels in the livers of patients with chronic HCV infection, their correlation with the biochemical markers of liver damage (ALT, AST), bile duct obstruction (GGT), liver cancer (AFP), viral factors (viral load) and their association with the necroinflammatory activity profile in the liver as well as the degree of liver fibrosis
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