Hepatitis C virus (HCV) modulates intrahepatic
cholesterol biosynthetic pathways to promote viral replication. Chronic HCV
infection is associated with altered metabolism, including
dyslipidemia and
insulin resistance (IR), which contributes to
disease progression and influences response to
therapy. To further understand the impact of HCV
infection on host metabolism, we examined changes in serum
lipid profiles and intrahepatic expression of
lipid-related genes during
interferon (IFN)-free treatment of chronic HCV, genotype 1
infection with
sofosbuvir and
ribavirin (RBV), and explored associations with treatment outcome. Serum
lipids (total
cholesterol,
low-density lipoprotein [
LDL],
high-density lipoprotein [HDL], and
triglycerides [TGs]) and
hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) were measured during treatment, while gene expression of
lipid-related genes was assessed using paired pre- and end-of-treatment (EOT) liver biopsies from 8 patients (n=7 sustained virologic response [SVR]; n=1 relapse) and unpaired EOT liver biopsies from 25 patients (n=17 SVR; n=8 relapse). Serum
LDL concentration and particle size increased early in
therapy, whereas TG concentration and
very-low-density lipoprotein particle size decreased concomitantly, irrespective of treatment outcome. Whereas
LDL increased in patients regardless of treatment outcome, average
LDL concentration was lower at baseline and post-treatment in patients who relapsed. Analysis of paired liver biopsies revealed altered expression of genes associated with
lipid transport, assembly, and signaling. In unpaired EOT liver biopsies, intrahepatic expression of
fatty acid metabolism and
lipid transport genes was lower in patients who experienced treatment relapse.
CONCLUSION: