TY - JOUR

T1 - Immune regulation in chronic hepatitis C virus infection

AU - Hartling, Hans Jakob

AU - Ballegaard, Vibe Cecilie

AU - Nielsen, Nick Schou

AU - Gaardbo, Julie Christine

AU - Nielsen, Susanne Dam

PY - 2016

Y1 - 2016

N2 - The immunological result of infection with Hepatitis C virus (HCV) depends on the delicate balance between a vigorous immune response that may clear the infection, but with a risk of unspecific inflammation and, or a less inflammatory response that leads to chronic infection. In general, exhaustion and impairment of cytotoxic function of HCV-specific T cells and NK cells are found in patients with chronic HCV infection. In contrast, an increase in immune regulatory functions is found primarily in form of increased IL-10 production possibly due to increased level and function of anti-inflammatory Tregs. Thus, the major immune players during chronic HCV infection are characterized by a decrease of cytotoxic function and increase of inhibitory functions. This may be an approach to diminish intrahepatic and systemic inflammation. Finally, there has been increasing awareness of regulatory functions of epigenetic changes in chronic HCV infection. A vast amount of studies have revealed the complexity of immune regulation in chronic HCV infection, but the interplay between immune regulation in virus and host remains incompletely understood. This review provides an overview of regulatory functions of HCV-specific T cells, NK cells, Tregs, IL-10, and TGF-β, as well as epigenetic changes in the setting of chronic HCV infection.

AB - The immunological result of infection with Hepatitis C virus (HCV) depends on the delicate balance between a vigorous immune response that may clear the infection, but with a risk of unspecific inflammation and, or a less inflammatory response that leads to chronic infection. In general, exhaustion and impairment of cytotoxic function of HCV-specific T cells and NK cells are found in patients with chronic HCV infection. In contrast, an increase in immune regulatory functions is found primarily in form of increased IL-10 production possibly due to increased level and function of anti-inflammatory Tregs. Thus, the major immune players during chronic HCV infection are characterized by a decrease of cytotoxic function and increase of inhibitory functions. This may be an approach to diminish intrahepatic and systemic inflammation. Finally, there has been increasing awareness of regulatory functions of epigenetic changes in chronic HCV infection. A vast amount of studies have revealed the complexity of immune regulation in chronic HCV infection, but the interplay between immune regulation in virus and host remains incompletely understood. This review provides an overview of regulatory functions of HCV-specific T cells, NK cells, Tregs, IL-10, and TGF-β, as well as epigenetic changes in the setting of chronic HCV infection.

KW - adaptive immunology

KW - Chronic hepatitis C

KW - HCV

KW - IL-10

KW - MiRNA

KW - regulatory T cells

KW - TGF-b

U2 - 10.3109/00365521.2016.1170875

DO - 10.3109/00365521.2016.1170875

M3 - Review

C2 - 27436030

AN - SCOPUS:84988689747

VL - 51

SP - 1387

EP - 1397

JO - Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology

JF - Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology

SN - 0036-5521

IS - 11

ER -