STUDY OF TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR-α AND INTERLEUKIN 10 IN HEPATIC SCHISTOSOMIASIS WITH AND WITHOUT CHRONIC VIRAL C INFECTION

Abstract

Schistosomiasis and hepatitis C virus infection are the two major causes of liver disease in Egypt. The contribution of concomitant HCV infection to the increased morbidity in schistosomiasis has been noted as well as the prevalence of chronic HCV infection in patients with hepatosplenic schistosomiasis. In recent years, there has been an explosion of interest in the group of inflammatory mediators known as cytokines. The liver is an important organ in the metabolism of cytokines, having the capacity to produce and remove them. Cytokines are essential for the communication not only between he liver and extrahepatic sites, but also within the liver itself. In liver diseases, cytokines are involved in the onset of intrahepatic immune responses (during viral hepatitis), in liver regeneration (after partial hepatectomy) and in the fibrotic and cirrhotic transformation of the liver. A great understanding of the cytokine networks associated with liver diseases may lead to the development of novel cytokine based treatment as well as new immunomdulating therapeutic options for many liver diseases. The aim of the present work was therefore to study the level of TNF-a and IL-10 in the serum of patients with hepatic schistosomiasis with and without chronic hepatitis C virus infection,