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Elbaz S, Mousa N, Elmetwalli A, Abdel-Razik A, Salah M, ElHammady A, Abdelsalam M, Abdelkader E, El-Wakeel N, Eldars W, El-Emam O, Elbeltagy A, Shaheen M, El-Zamek H, Mousa E, Deiab A, Elgamal A, Habib A. Unraveling IL-17 and IL-22 role in occult hepatitis C versus chronic hepatitis C virus infection. BMC Infect Dis 2024; 24:134. [PMID: 38273234 PMCID: PMC10811848 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-024-09032-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cytokines play a crucial role in regulating the function of the immune system by controlling the production, differentiation, and activity of immune cells. Occult hepatitis C virus (OHCV) infection can lead to liver damage, including cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. This study investigates the immunopathogenic impact of the cytokines IL-17 and IL-22 in OHCV infection compared to chronic hepatitis C (CHC) infection. METHODS We studied three groups of patients: 35 with OHCV, 100 untreated patients with CHC, and 30 healthy control subjects. All subjects underwent physical examination and biochemical testing. We used the sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method to measure serum IL-17 and IL-22 levels in all groups. RESULTS Compared to the occult and control groups, the CHC group had significantly higher serum IL-17 levels (p < 0.001). The occult group also had higher serum IL-17 levels compared to the control group (p < 0.0001). There were no significant differences in IL-22 levels across the research groups. In the OHCV group, individuals with moderate inflammation (A2-A3) had significantly higher serum IL-17 levels than those with minimal inflammation (A0-A1), while in the CHC group, this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.601). Neither the occult nor the CHC groups showed a correlation between serum IL-22 and inflammatory activity. There was no significant correlation between the levels of IL-17 or IL-22 and the stage of fibrosis/cirrhosis in either group. ROC curves were calculated for serum IL-17 and IL-22 levels and occult HCV infection, with cut-off values set at ≤ 32.1 pg/ml and < 14.3 pg/ml for IL-17 and IL-22, respectively. The AUROC (95%CI) was significantly higher for IL-17 than IL-22 (0.829 (0.732-0.902) vs. 0.504 (0.393-0.614), p < 0.001), suggesting that IL-17 has a stronger correlation with infection risk than IL-22. CONCLUSION This study suggests that IL-17 may be involved in the immunopathogenesis of OHCV infection, especially in patients with moderate inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sherif Elbaz
- Endemic Diseases and Gastroenterology Department, Aswan University, Aswan, Egypt
| | - Nasser Mousa
- Tropical Medicine Department, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt.
- Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt.
| | - Alaa Elmetwalli
- Department of Clinical Trial Research Unit and Drug Discovery, Egyptian Liver Research Institute and Hospital (ELRIAH), Mansoura, Egypt
| | | | - Mohamed Salah
- Tropical Medicine Department, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
| | - Amr ElHammady
- Internal Medicine Department, Banha University, Banha, Egypt
| | | | - Eman Abdelkader
- Internal Medicine Department, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
| | - Niveen El-Wakeel
- Medical Microbiology and Immunology Department, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
- Medical Microbiology and Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Delta University for Science and Technology, New Mansoura, Egypt
| | - Waleed Eldars
- Medical Microbiology and Immunology Department, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, New Mansoura University, New Mansoura, Egypt
| | - Ola El-Emam
- Clinical Pathology Department, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
| | - Ahmed Elbeltagy
- Clinical Pathology Department, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
| | - Mohamed Shaheen
- Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Hossam El-Zamek
- Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Eman Mousa
- Faculty of Dentistry, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
| | - Ahmed Deiab
- Internal Medicine Department, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
| | - Ayman Elgamal
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Menoufia University, Menoufia, Egypt
| | - Alaa Habib
- Internal Medicine Department, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
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