Evaluation of Interleukine17 and Transforming growth factor-beta in Hepatitis C Patients

Abstract

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is one of the hepatitis viruses that transmitted through blood or blood products. HCV has been implicated as a major reason of chronic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma worldwide. The highest prevalence of HCV in the world occurs in Egypt with estimates higher than 10% among the general population. There are approximately, 3.7 million persons in Egypt have chronic HCV infection in 2015. HCV infection directly modulates signaling and metabolic pathways by viral proteins. Moreover, it indirectly induces host antiviral immune responses leading to chronic inflammation. Together, these events promote liver fibrogenesis. Liver fibrosis is the main predictor of the progression of chronic hepatitis C, and its assessment by liver biopsy can help occasional complications and poor patient acceptance. The mechanisms of HCV-induced inflammation involve classic pathogen pattern recognition, inflammasome activation, intrahepatic inflammatory cascade response, and oxidative and endoplasmic reticulum stress. The levels of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines change with the states of infection and treatment, and therefore, they may serve as candidate biomarkers for disease progression and therapeutic effects. Gold standard diagnostic tool, liver biopsy is highly invasive and complicated. Direct biomarkers involved in