Abstract
Background. Hepatitis C virus is the major cause of chronic hepatitis worldwide which finally leads to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma. Toll like receptors (TLRs) play an important role in the course of many viral infections, but the role of TLRs in HCV pathogenesis has not been well elucidated so far. Objective. The aim of this study was to analyse the mRNA expression of TLRs 3, 7, and 8 in different stages of HCV infection including chronic, cirrhosis, interferon treated resolved, and relapsed cases. Methodology. Total RNA from whole blood was extracted and mRNA expression of TLRs 3, 7, and 8 genes was analyzed by quantitative real-time RT-PCR using β-Actin gene as an internal control. Results. This study consisted of 100 HCV infected individuals and twenty healthy controls. TLR 3 expression was found to be significantly elevated in individuals who had spontaneously cleared the virus (p < 0.001), whereas TLR 7 was found to be 3.26 times more elevated in patients with cirrhosis of liver. In IFN induced individuals, TLR 8 expression levels were found to be 2.28-fold elevated as compared to control population. Conclusion. TLRs 3, 7, and 8 are prime biomarker candidates for HCV infection mRNA expression analysis which might improve current therapeutic approaches.
Highlights
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is an evolving public health problem globally and the major cause of chronic hepatitis worldwide which leads to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) [1]
The alanine aminotransferase (ALT) values of patients with relapsed HCV infection and in patients with liver cirrhosis were significantly higher with respect to the control values (p < 0.001)
The median HCV RNA values of HCV infected patients with relapsed infection and patients who have progressed to cirrhosis of liver were significantly higher than those of the patients who were HCV infected but treatment naıve (p < 0.05)
Summary
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is an evolving public health problem globally and the major cause of chronic hepatitis worldwide which leads to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) [1]. This virus infects 3% of world population and 180 million people are at risk for developing HCV related chronic liver disease [2]. Toll like receptors (TLRs) are a class of PRRs that detect an increasingly broad range of pathogens and play an important role in host innate immunity [7]. TLRs 3, 7, and 8 are prime biomarker candidates for HCV infection mRNA expression analysis which might improve current therapeutic approaches
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 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.
