Polymorphism of IL-28B Gene (rs12979860) in HCV Genotype 1 Patients Treated by Pegylated Interferon and Ribavirin

Background: Nowadays, the immune response to hepatitis C (HCV) treatment has become a crucial issue mostly due to the interleukin 28B (IL28B) polymorphism effects in chronic HCV patients. The aim of this study was to detect the polymorphism of IL28B gene (rs12979860) in HCV genotype 1 patients treated with pegylated Interferon and Ribavirin. Methods: From the 2010 to 2012, a total of 115 peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of HCV patients who presented to Gastrointestinal Liver Disease Research Center (GILDRC), Firoozgar Hospital, Tehran, Iran were enrolled in this retrospective cross sectional study. Samples were then categorized based on the presence of sustained virologic response (SVR and noSVR). Variables including age, gender, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels of the two groups were investigated based on different IL28B genotypes. Results: Analysis by the variables of age and gender showed a mean age ± SD of 42.1±14.0 and gender variability of 44 females (38.2%) and 71 males (61.8%). Adding up these results, the analysis of ALT levels revealed that there was between 293 and 14 mg/ml; AST levels ranged between 217 and 17 mg/ml; the viral load (HCV RNA) ranged between 7,822,000 and 50 IU/ml; the prevalence of CC, CT and TT genotypes were 90.9%, 54% and 25.0%. Conclusion: IL28B polymorphism has an effective impact on the therapeutic response to ribavirin and peginterferon combination therapy in chronic HCV patients infected by different genotypes. This polymorphism is crucial in natural clearance.