The aim of the study was to investigate the phenotype of effector T lymphocytes in patients with chronic viral hepatitis C (CVHC) in the dynamics of treatment with direct antiviral drugs depending on the genotype of the virus. 50 patients with CVHC were examined. The diagnosis was made on the basis of epidemiological and clinical laboratory data when specific serological markers of CHCV and RNA of hepatitis C virus (HCV) were detected. The determination of HCV RNA was carried out by the method of quantitative polymerase chain reaction in real time. The degree of liver fibrosis in patients with CVHC was assessed using ultrasound elastography. Patients were treated for 3 months with direct antiviral drugs according to the recommendations of the European Association for the Study of the Liver. The control group included 46 healthy donors with negative serological and molecular studies for the presence of viral hepatitis markers. The study of the subpopulation composition of helper and cytotoxic T-lymphocytes was carried out by direct immunofluorescence of whole peripheral blood. It was found that in CVHC patients were found characteristic features in the phenotypic composition of effector T-lymphocytes before and after treatment with direct antiviral drugs in depending on the genotype of HCV. The patients with HCV genotypes 1 and 3 had an increase in the content of terminal differentiated effector (TEMRA) T-helpers and effector memory (EM). Only patients with HCV genotype 2 had a decrease in the level of EM T-helper cells in the blood. A decrease in the relative number of T-helpers of central memory (СM) was independent of the HCV genotype. The level of effector subpopulations of cytotoxic T-lymphocytes in patients with CVHC was consistent with or exceeded control levels in depending on the genotype of HCV. The level of all investigated subpopulations of effector cytotoxic T-lymphocytes in patients with HCV genotype 1 is equal to the control values. The number of naive cytotoxic T cells and CM in peripheral blood in patients with HCV genotype 2 was increased. The content of naive cytotoxic T-lymphocytes, CM and TEMRA in patients with genotype 3 HCV in the blood was increased. The highest viral load was detected in patients with CVHC with genotype 1 HCV. Liver fibrosis was most pronounced in patients with CVHC infection with HCV genotypes 2 and 3. After 3 months of treatment with direct antiviral drugs the patients with CVHC had a reduced content of CM T-helpers regardless of the HCV genotype. In addition, patients with HCV genotypes 1 and 3 had a decrease in the number of naive T-helpers and patients with HCV genotypes 2 and 3 had a normalization of the content of naive cytotoxic T lymphocytes.
Relapses in the treatment of genotype 2 viral hepatitis C, a cause of concern in the blacks
