2003 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Development of therapy for chronic hepatitis C using interferon-producing dendritic cells
| Project/Area Number |
14570474
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Gastroenterology
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| Research Institution | Ehime University |
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Principal Investigator |
S.M.F. Akbar Ehime University School of Medicine, Third Department of Internal Medicine, Instructor, 医学部, 助手 (90294793)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2002 – 2003
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| Keywords | Plasmacytoid DC / Myeloid DCs / Chronic hepatitis C / Interferon-alpha / Polarization of naive CD4+ naive T cells |
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| Research Abstract |
In this study, we evaluated the frequencies and functions of myeloid dendritic cell (MDC) and interferon (IFN)-producing plasmacytoid DC (PDC). The frequencies of MDC and PDC in the peripheral blood of 63 patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) and 34 normal control subjects were estimated by 4-color flow cytometry. Furthermore, we also checked the production of IFN-alpha by MDC in 10 patients with CHC and 10 normal control subjects. The capacity of MDC to polarize naive CD4^+ T cells to IFN-gamma-producing effector T cells were also evaluated in 10 patients with CHC and 10 control subjects.
The levels of IFN-alpha produced by PDC from patients with CHC were significantly lower compared to that of, normal control subjects (p<0.05). This was confirmed by evaluating the production of intracellular IFN-alpha in PDC, production of IFN-alpha in culture and from the expression levels of IFN-alpha. The frequencies of MDCs were significantly lower in patients with CHC compared to that in normal control subjects. MDC from patients with CHC also had impaired capacity to induce polarization of naive CD4^+ T cells to IFN-gamma-producing T cells. Taken, together, this study shows that impaired functions of PDC and MDC might be responsible for the low anti-HCV immune responses in CHC patients. Improvement of the function of PDCs in CHC patients might contribute to new immune therapy for CHC patients.
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Research Products
(14 results)
