Impact of interleukin-27 on replication of hepatitis C virus

Gaetano Scotto¹, Adele Giammario¹, Francesca Campanale¹, Giovanna D’Addiego¹, Vincenzina Fazio^2
1Clinic of Infectious Diseases, University of Foggia, Italy; ²Clinical Chemistry Laboratory, Hospital of Foggia, Italy

Abstract: Recently, different interleukins have been associated with responses to PEGylated interferon and ribavirin and spontaneous clearance of acute hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection (interleukin [IL]-28B) or with the development of a novel immunotherapeutic strategy for HCV infection (IL-27). IL-27 is a helical cytokine belonging to the IL-6/IL-12 cytokine family with a broad range of anti-inflammatory properties. Some studies demonstrated that IL-27 stimulates hepatoma cells and hepatocytes by inducing a sustained signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT1 and STAT3) activation. Moreover, IL-27 induces interferon-α-like responses including the induction of antiviral genes (ribonucleic acid-dependent protein kinase), oligoadenylate synthetase, and myxovirus protein. In this review we examine the research on IL-27 and its potential role in therapy for HCV, including the capability to inhibit replication of HCV.

Keywords: interleukin-27, hepatitis C virus, chronic liver disease, chronic hepatitis C infection