Association of IL28B Genotypes and Baseline Serum Interferon-γ-Inducible-Protein-10 Levels with Treatment Response in Hepatitis C Virus Patients in China

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Several studies have demonstrated that serum interferon-γ-inducible-protein-10 (IP-10) levels at baseline and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) near the IL28B gene were associated with viral response and treatment outcomes. Our purpose was to assess the combination of pretreatment IP-10 levels with IL28B SNPs as predictors of treatment response to pegylated interferon α-2a plus ribavirin in patients infected with genotype 1 hepatitis C virus in China. METHODS: Seventy-two patients with chronic hepatitis C without fibrosis/cirrhosis were enrolled in the study. The virologic parameters and baseline serum IP-10 levels were determined. IL-28B genotypes were determined by sequencing. RESULTS: In this cohort, serum baseline IP-10 levels lower than 426.7 pg/mL could predict rapid virological response/sustained virological response (SVR). Patients carrying favorable IL28B SNP genotypes had higher SVRs than did those carrying unfavorable variants (IL28B rs12979860, p=0.002; IL28B rs8099917, p=0.020). Combining both baseline IP-10 and IL28B SNPs could improve the prediction of SVR in favorable allele carriers of IL28B, rs12979860 CC and rs8099917 TT. Serum baseline IP-10 levels and IL28B genotypes were independent predictors of SVR. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that the combination of baseline serum IP-10 levels and the determination of IL28B SNPs increase the predictability of SVR rates in this cohort.