Publications of Faculty of Medicine:THE ROLE OF INTERLEUKIN-8 AND GRANULOCYTE MACROPHAGE-COLONY STIMULATING FACTOR IN PATHOGENESIS OF CHRONIC VIRAL HEPATITIS B & C IN CHILDREN: Abstract

Title:
THE ROLE OF INTERLEUKIN-8 AND GRANULOCYTE MACROPHAGE-COLONY STIMULATING FACTOR IN PATHOGENESIS OF CHRONIC VIRAL HEPATITIS B & C IN CHILDREN
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Abstract:

To study the role of interleukin-8 (IL-8) and granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) in the pathogenesis of chronic active viral hepatitis (CAH), the serum levels of IL-8 and GM-CSF were measured. They were estimated by ELISA technique in 38 children with (CAH) and 10 normal control children, the patients were grouped according to their viral markers into 3 groups. Group I included 13 children (8 males and 5 females) due to HBV infection, group II included 18 children (12 males and 6 females) due to HCV infection, group III included 7 patients (4 males and 3 females) due to mixed HBV and HCV infection. Our study showed that serum levels of IL-8 were 6.48 ± 1.67 pg/ml in the control group and 57.76 ± 35.79, 98.97 ± 53.19 and 76.38 ± 51.08 pg/ml in the 3 patients groups of CAH respectively. The serum levels of GM-CSF were 3.9 ± 1.1 pg/ml in the control group and (52.02 ± 25.1, 68.57 ± 44.05 and 67.32 ± 40.48 pg/ml) in the 3 groups of CAH respectively. There were a highly significant (r0.001) difference in both IL-8 and GM-CSF levels, in the 3 groups of CAH and the control group. Moreover, there were a significant correlation between both IL-8 and GM-CSF and liver function tests (AST. ALT and serum bilirubin) but no significant correlation between them and serum protein, alkaline phosphatase and prothrombin time. It can be concluded that IL-8 and GM-CSF were increased in chronic active viral hepatitis and correlated significantly with the severity or hepatic viral affection as determined by increased level of ALT, AST and bilirubin. IL-8 has a chemoattractant effect for neutrophils and GM-CSF stimulates proliferation and maturation of myeloid progenitors cells giving rise to neutrophils and monocytes, so, they increase the number of phagocytic cells and so, they may play a significant role in host defence and pathogenesis of chronic viral hepatitis.