Low expression of erythrocyte complement receptor type 1 in chronic hepatitis C patients

✍ Scribed by Kanto, Tatsuya; Hayashi, Norio; Takehara, Tetsuo; Katayama, Kazuhiro; Kato, Michio; Akiyama, Masahiko; Kasahara, Akinori; Fusamoto, Hideyuki; Kamada, Takenobu

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1996
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 889 KB
• Volume: 50
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0146-6615
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1096-9071(199610)50:2<126::aid-jmv5>3.0.co;2-c

✦ Synopsis

Primate erythrocyte complement receptor type 1 (CRI) plays an essential role in complementassociated immune complex clearance by transporting complexes to macrophages in the liver and/or spleen. Antibody-bound hepatitis C virus, which consists of immune complexes, is observed in patients with chronic hepatitis C. The aim of this study was to clarify the pathophysiological roles of erythrocyte C R I in hepatitis C virus-infected individuals. We quantified the expression of erythrocyte C R I with a fluorescenceactivated cell sorter system i n 57 chronic hepatitis C and 37 chronic hepatitis B cases and 20 normal volunteers. Complement-bound immune complexes were quantified by means of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using anti-C l q and anti-C3d antibodies. Hepatitis C virusinfected patients showed lower erythrocyte CRI and higherC3d immune complex levels than volunteers ( P < 0.01 and P < 0.05, respectively). An inverse correlation was observed between the erythrocyte C R I and C3d immunecomplex levels in hepatitis C virus infection (r = -0.300, P = 0.032). The erythrocyte C R I levels in hepatitis C virus infection were lower in patients with severe liver inflammation, cirrhosis, or hepatocellular carcinoma than in those with mild inflammation, whereas the levels did not differ regardless of the disease stage in hepatitis B virus infection. These findings demonstrate that the expression of erythrocyte CRI is related to immune complex quantity and the severity of liver disease in hepatitis C virus infection.