[Method] ex-vivo analysis: Forty two CH-C patients were treated with Peg-IFNα/RBV/1 (OH) Vitamin D3. Forty-two case-matched CH-C controls were treated with Peg-IFNα/RBV. In addition to the case-controlled trial, we conducted a randomized controlled trial for the treatment of CH-C with severe fibrosis (Peg-IFNα/RBV1 (OH)Vitamin D3 vs Peg-IFNα/RBV). Permission for the study was obtained from the Ethics Committee find protocol at Tohoku University Graduate
School of Medicine (2010–114). PBMCs were used for the analysis of Th1/Th2/Tregs. Plasma obtained from CH-C patients treated with 1 (OH) vitamin D3 was analyzed by suspension beads array. The mRNA expression of ISGs in liver biopsy samples was quantified by TaqMan this website realtime PCR. in vitro analysis: Isolated PBMCs were used to analyze
the effect of the metabolites of 1 (OH) vitamin D3 in a Huh7 cells-transwell system. JFH-1 replicating Huh-7 cells were used to analyze the expression of the ISGs with vitamin D3 and its metabolites. [Results]: The titers of HCV-RNA in the IL28B(T/T)-HCV patients treated with 1 (OH) vitamin D3/Peg-IFN/RBV therapy were significantly lower than those treated with Peg-IFN/RBV therapy alone (generalized linear mixed model p<0.01). Several kinds of cytokines including IP-10 were significantly decreased after 4 weeks of 1 (OH) vitamin D3 treatment (p<0.05). Th1 responses in the subjects treated with 1 (OH) vitamin D3/Peg-IFN/RBV were significantly
higher than those treated with Peg-IFN/RBV Quinapyramine at 12 weeks after Peg-IFN/RBV therapy (p<0.05). The expression of ISGs in the patient’s liver biopsy samples was significantly lower than in those treated without 1 (OH) vitamin D3 (p<0.05). However, the direct effect of vitamin D3 and its metabolites on the expression of ISGs in hepatocytes could not be detected in vitro without immune cells. 1 (OH) vitamin D3 and 1,25(OH) vitamin D3 could significantly reduce several kinds of cytokines including IP10. The serum levels of 1, 25 (OH) vitamin D3 in CH-C with severe fibrosis were significantly lower than in CH-C without severe fibrosis (p<0.01). [Conclusion] 1 (OH) vitamin D3 could improve the sensitivity to Peg-IFN/RBV therapy of HCV-infected hepatocytes by reducing the IP-1 0 production from PBMCs and the expression of ISGs in the liver. The administration of 1 (OH) vitamin D3 might be useful for the pre-conditioning of DAA/Peg-IFN/RBV treatment.