Current Drug Targets - Volume 18, Issue 7, 2017

More than 180 millions of subjects in the world are infected by Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), and about 20% of them with HCV chronic infection progress to cirrhosis. Furthermore, numerous HCV extrahepatic manifestations have been reported in up to 74% of patients, as mixed cryoglobulinemia, lymphomas, rheumatic disorders, autoimmune thyroiditis, hypothyroidism, papillary thyroid cancer, and type 2 diabetes. Advances in un Read More

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a worldwide major cause of chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Accumulating evidence indicates that a number of microRNAs (miRNAs), which are able to exert an effect on liver biology and pathology, can regulate or be regulated by HCV infection. Many studies demonstrate that HCV utilizes host miRNAs and modulates expression of miRNAs in infected hepatocytes fo Read More

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major cause of liver-related morbidity and is strongly associated with B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders. Data from epidemiological, biological and clinical investigations support the hypothesis of a pathogenetic role of HCV in at least a subgroup of patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (B-NHL). Morphologically, HCV-associated B-NHL represents a variety of histological subtypes. The compre Read More

Mixed Cryoglobulinemia (MC) is the most frequent extrahepatic manifestation of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. MC is an autoimmune /B-cell lymphoproliferative disorder characterized by circulating immune-complexes, named cryoglobulins. MC patients exhibit symptoms due to a systemic vasculitis of small/medium size vessels (mixed cryoglobulinemia syndrome, MCS) in a percentage going from 5 to 30%. The firs Read More

Cytokines and chemokines, hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection-induced, participate in viral control and liver damage. The complex cytokine network, operating during initial infection allows a coordinated and effective development of innate and adaptive immune responses. “HCV interferes with cytokines at various levels and escapes immune response by inducing a T helper (Th)2/T cytotoxic 2 cytokine profile”. A predominance o Read More

Mixed cryoglobulinemia syndrome (MCs) is a systemic vasculitis, involving skin, joints, peripheral nerves, and several internal organs. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is recognized as the etiologic agent for the majority of MCs patients, as well as of number of autoimmune, lymphoproliferative, and neoplastic disorders. In this context, HCV-related MCs represents an important model autoimmune/ neoplastic disease triggered by a vir Read More

A number of hepatic and extra-hepatic autoimmune disorders may complicate a percentage of patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection that is both hepatotropic and lymphotropic agent; the resulting clinical phenotypes can be grouped into the so-called HCV syndrome. This latter includes various rheumatic disorders that are frequently characterized by clinical or serological overlap; thus, a correct patients’ classification is Read More

We have entered a new era of hepatitis C virus (HCV) therapy in which elimination of infection and disease is a real possibility. HCV cell culture models were instrumental for identification of therapeutic targets, testing candidate drugs, and profiling of therapeutic strategies. Here we describe current and novel methods of cell culture systems for HCV that are allowing investigation of HCV life cycle and virus-host intera Read More

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) remains a public health problem of global importance, even in the era of potent directly-acting antiviral drugs. In this chapter, I discuss immune responses to acute and chronic HCV infection. The outcome of HCV infection is influenced by viral strategies that limit or delay the initiation of innate antiviral responses. This delay may enable HCV to establish widespread infection long before the host moun Read More

It is known that the production of and/or response to interferon (IFN) are deregulated during chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. In particular, several studies have shown that patients with chronic HCV infection who have a high natural level of IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs) do not achieve viral clearance and have a poor response to treatment with pegylated IFNα and ribavirin. The viral and/or host factors that are responsi Read More

Treatment for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has progressed at remarkable speed. From poorly tolerated injectable therapy with very low cure rates, treatment has moved to highly effective well-tolerated all oral direct-acting antiviral therapies with cure rates above 90% for almost all patients populations. Direct-acting antivirals have developed out of an improved understanding of the viral lifecycle with recognition of t Read More

A complex network of different cytokines and chemokines modulates atherosclerosis, a chronic inflammatory disease. Interleukin-17A (IL-17A) is expressed by different leukocyte subsets such as CD4+IL-17+ T cells (Th17), γδ T cells, natural killer cells, natural killer T cells, and neutrophils. IL-17A plays an important role in host defense and is involved in the pathology of different autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Recent Read More

Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is a 69 kD fetal- and tumor-associated single-chain glycoprotein belonging to the albuminoid gene family. AFP functions as a carrier/transport molecule as well as a growth regulator and has been utilized as a clinical biomarker for both fetal defects and cancer growth. Lysophospholipids (LPLs) are plasma membrane-derived bioactive lipid signaling mediators composed of a small molecular weight single Read More