Detection of Specific Antibodies to Hcv-Arf/Core+1 Protein in Cirrhotic and Non-Cirrhotic Patients With Hepatitis C: A Possible Association With Progressive Fibrosis Pubmed



Ajorloo M¹ ; Bamdad T¹ ; Hashempour T² ; Alborzi AM³ ; Mozhgani SHR⁴ ; Asadi R⁵ ; Hajsheykholeslami A⁵ ; Merat S⁵ Show Affiliations
Source: Archives of Iranian Medicine Published:2015

Abstract

Background: The role of different viral proteins in the progression of the disease to cirrhosis is not completely understood. The ARFP/F protein is a newly described protein synthesized from the +1 or -2 reading frames of the core protein gene, which its function remains unknown. The purpose of this study is to detect specific antibodies to HCV-ARF/Core+1 protein in cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic patients with HCV and investigate any possible association. Methods: ARF/Core+1 recombinant proteins from HCV genotype 1a were expressed in Escherichia coli, and purified. Using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, we assessed the prevalence of anti-ARF/Core+1 antibodies in 50 cirrhotic and 50 non-cirrhotic hepatitis C patients. Results: All 50 cirrhotic patients were positive for anti-ARF/Core+1 antibody, while only 80% positive samples among non-cirrhotic patients were detected. The titer of anti-ARF/Core+1 antibody was also significantly higher in patients with cirrhosis than in non-cirrhotic patients. Conclusion: Compared to 80% positive samples among non-cirrhotic patients all 50 cirrhotic patients were positive for anti-ARF/Core+1 antibody and titer of anti-ARF/Core+1 antibody was significantly higher in patients with cirrhosis than in non-cirrhotic. These results suggest that ARF/Core+1 protein is associated with cirrhosis. A possible causative association between ARF/Core+1 and cirrhosis as well as the mechanism of this association needs to be further investigated. © 2015, Academy of Medical Sciences of I.R. Iran. All rights reserved.