Medina, C.; García, A.H.; Crespo, F.I.; Toro, F.I.; Mayora, S.J.; De Sanctis, J.B. A Synopsis of Hepatitis C Virus Treatments and Future Perspectives. Curr. Issues Mol. Biol.2023, 45, 8255-8276.
Medina, C.; García, A.H.; Crespo, F.I.; Toro, F.I.; Mayora, S.J.; De Sanctis, J.B. A Synopsis of Hepatitis C Virus Treatments and Future Perspectives. Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. 2023, 45, 8255-8276.
Medina, C.; García, A.H.; Crespo, F.I.; Toro, F.I.; Mayora, S.J.; De Sanctis, J.B. A Synopsis of Hepatitis C Virus Treatments and Future Perspectives. Curr. Issues Mol. Biol.2023, 45, 8255-8276.
Medina, C.; García, A.H.; Crespo, F.I.; Toro, F.I.; Mayora, S.J.; De Sanctis, J.B. A Synopsis of Hepatitis C Virus Treatments and Future Perspectives. Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. 2023, 45, 8255-8276.
Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a worldwide public health problem. Chronic infection by HCV can lead to liver cirrhosis or cancer. Although some immune-competent individuals can clear the virus, others develop chronic HCV disease due to viral mutations or an impaired immune response. IFNs type I and III and the signal transduction induced by them are essential for a proper antiviral effect. Research on the viral cycle and immune escape mechanisms have generated the basis of therapeutic strategies to achieve a sustained virological response (SVR). The first therapies were based on IFN-, then IFN-α plus ribavirin (IFN-RBV); then, pegylated-IFN--RBV (PEGIFNα-RIV) to improve cytokine pharmacokinetics. However, the maximum SVR was 60%, and several significant side effects were observed, decreasing the patients' treatment adherence. The development of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) significantly enhanced SVR (> 90%); the compounds were able to inhibit HCV replication without significant side effects, even in pediatric populations. The management of coinfected patients HBV-HCV and HCV-HIV has also improved based on DAA and PEG-IFNα-RBV (HBV-HCV). CD4 cells are crucial for an effective antiviral response. IFNλ3, IL28B, TNF-α, IL-10, TLR-3, and TLR-9 gene polymorphisms are involved in viral clearance, therapeutic responses, and hepatic pathologies. Future research focuses on searching for strategies to circumvent resistance-associated substitution (RAS) to DAAs, develop new therapeutic schemes for different medical conditions, including organ transplant, and develop vaccines for long-lasting cellular and humoral responses with cross-protection to different HCV genotypes. The goal is to minimise the probability of HCV infection, HCV chronicity and hepatic carcinoma.
Biology and Life Sciences, Immunology and Microbiology
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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