Interleukin 28B genotype and insulin resistance in chronic hepatitis C patients

Antivir Ther. 2014 Feb 12. doi: 10.3851/IMP2743. [Epub ahead of print]

Degasperi E, Valenti L, Aghemo A, De Francesco R, Rumi M, Soffredini R, Donnici L, Cheroni C, Fargion S, Zanoni V, Orsi E, Colombo M.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: In patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, an association between IL28B genotype and insulin-resistance (IR), known predictors of sustained virological response (SVR) to PegInterferon (PegIFN) and Ribavirin (Rbv) therapy, has been reported. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of IR and IL28B genotype in two cohorts of well-characterized HCV patients.

METHODS: 480 non-diabetic HCV patients were analyzed: 391 patients who received PegIFN/Rbv in the MIST study, and 89 previously reported patients followed at a Metabolic Liver Diseases center. All were tested for IL28B rs12979860 SNP by RT-PCR and had IR measured by HOMA-IR. Staging of liver disease through liver biopsy was available for all patients.

RESULTS: 164 patients (34%) were IL28B CC. Mean HOMA-IR values did not differ according to IL28B genotype, being respectively 1.14 ± 0.79 in CC vs 1.14 ± 0.78 in CT/TT (p=1.0) in the first, and 2.4 ± 1.0 vs 2.5 ± 1.0 (p=0.7) in the second cohort. HOMA-IR>2 was not associated with IL28B genotype: 16/132 (12%) CC vs 31/259 (12%) CT/TT (p=1.0) in the first cohort, and 16/32 (50%) vs 37/57 (65%) (p=0.18) in the second. This held true also when using different HOMA cut-offs (>2.5, >3.0, >3.5, >4.0). In the MIST cohort, HOMA-IR>2 did not influence treatment outcome, SVR rates being 28/47 (60%) in HOMA-IR>2 vs 214/344 (62%) in HOMA-IR<2 (p= 0.8). IL28B genotype was a strong predictor of SVR: 84% (111/132) in CC vs 51% (131/259) in CT/TT patients (p<0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS: In two cohorts of non-diabetic HCV patients where IL28B genotype predicted treatment outcome, we found no association between IL28B genotype and HOMA-IR.

PMID: 24523350 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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