Author : Marwa Tammam
CoAuthors : Amr Ali Hemeda , Amal Ahmed Mohamed, , Ramy Karam Aziz, Mohamed Salaheldin Abdel-Hakeem
Source : Viruses (Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute)
Date of Publication : 04/2021
Abstract :
Complications of hepatitis C virus (HCV) chronic infection cause ~400,000 deaths worldwide annually. One complication, liver fibrosis, is influenced by host genetic factors. Genes influencing fibrosis include immune, metabolic, oxidative stress, and viral entry genes, such as interleukin 10 (IL-10), microsomal triglyceride-transfer protein (MTP), superoxide dismutase-2 (SOD2), and apolipoprotein E (ApoE)-encoding genes, respectively. Thus, correlating variations in these genes with HCV-induced fibrosis represents an attractive biomarker for the prognosis of fibrosis severity in chronically infected patients. Here, we aimed to test whether polymorphisms in IL-10, MTP, SOD2, and ApoE genes correlated with severity of fibrosis induced by HCV genotype 4 (HCV-gt4) in a cohort of chronically infected Egyptian patients. Our results demonstrate a significant association between severity of fibrosis and specific SNPs in IL-10, SOD2, and ApoE encoding genes. Haplotype-combination analysis for IL10, MTTP, SOD2, and APOE genes showed statistically significant associations between specific haplotype-combinations and fibrosis severity. Identifying biomarkers correlating with severity of HCV-gt4-induced fibrosis would significantly impact precision prophylaxis and treatment of patients at risk.
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