1.
Hepatitis B virus-specific T cell response in chronic hepatitis B patients treated with lamivudine and interferon-alpha.
Pontesilli, O, van Nunen, AB, van Riel, D, Carotenuto, P, Niesters, HG, Uytdehaag, FG, De Man, RA, Osterhaus, AD
Liver international : official journal of the International Association for the Study of the Liver. 2004;(4):308-15
Abstract
AIMS: The goal of the present study was to assess the impact combination antiviral therapy has on immune responses in chronic hepatitis B. MATERIALS AND METHODS T cell responses were studied in 16 chronically hepatitis B virus (HBV)-infected patients treated with sequential, partially overlapping, lamivudine-interferon (IFN)-alpha combination therapy. RESULTS HBcAg-specific lymphoproliferative response (LPR) was transiently detected in four of five patients who achieved virus suppression (HBV DNA < 10(4) genome equivalents/ml) at end of dual therapy, and then reverted to pre-treatment viral load after therapy discontinuation. In contrast, no significant HBcAg-specific LPR was detected in 8 patients who did not attain profound HBV suppression, as well as in three patients who experienced no HBV DNA rebound after therapy discontinuation. CONCLUSIONS This pilot study suggests that restored viral replication after pharmacological suppression drives the immune response to HBV in chronically infected patients. Further characterization of the adaptive immunity and its regulatory mechanisms at time of therapy discontinuation appears therefore necessary in controlled trials.
2.
Liposomal lactoferrin induced significant increase of the interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) producibility in healthy volunteers.
Ishikado, A, Imanaka, H, Kotani, M, Fujita, A, Mitsuishi, Y, Kanemitsu, T, Tamura, Y, Makino, T
BioFactors (Oxford, England). 2004;(1-4):69-72
Abstract
Interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) producibility has been widely accepted as one of the important markers to evaluate the immune status. In this study, preliminary clinical tests were carried out to confirm the immunomodulatory activity of liposomal lactoferrin including IFN-alpha producibility and NK activity. In a primary open trial, the liposomal lactoferrin was administered to five healthy males for one week and various immunological indices were evaluated. Furthermore, ten healthy males were administered 319 mg per day of liposomal or non-liposomal lactoferrin for four weeks, and immune status was monitored at 0, 1 and 4 weeks after the intake as well as three weeks after stopping it. In this double-blinded comparative study, the IFN-alpha producibility was significantly increased only in the liposomal lactoferrin group during administration and decreased 3 weeks after stopping it, while the IFN-alpha producibility was unchanged in the non-liposomal lactoferrin group. Although the biological mechanism of IFN-alpha producibility enforced by liposomal lactoferrin has not been wholly understood, it is suggested to be a novel active constituent having preventive and therapeutic effects on inflammatory diseases, cancer and infectious diseases such as chronic hepatitis C.