Molecular pathways: hepatitis C virus, CXCL10, and the inflammatory road to liver cancer

Clin Cancer Res. 2013 Mar 15;19(6):1347-52. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-12-0928. Epub 2013 Jan 15.

Abstract

An estimated 170 million people worldwide are chronically infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV), which is characterized histologically by a persistent immune and inflammatory response that fails to clear HCV from hepatocytes. This response is recruited to the liver, in part, by the chemokine CXCL10, the serum and intrahepatic levels of which have been inversely linked to the outcome of interferon-based therapies for hepatitis C. Bystander tissue damage from this ineffective response is thought to lead to increased hepatocyte turnover and the development of fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, CXCL10 is traditionally viewed as an orchestrator of the angiostatic and antitumor immune response. In this review, we will explore this duality and the pathways by which CXCL10 is produced by hepatocytes during HCV infection, its effects on resident and infiltrating immune cells, and how deregulation of these cell populations within the liver may lead to chronic liver inflammation. We will also discuss potential host-directed therapies to slow or reverse HCV-induced inflammation that leads to fibrosis, cirrhosis, and HCCs.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Bystander Effect
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / pathology
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / virology
  • Chemokine CXCL10 / metabolism*
  • Fibrosis
  • Hepacivirus / metabolism
  • Hepacivirus / pathogenicity
  • Hepatitis C, Chronic* / pathology
  • Hepatitis C, Chronic* / virology
  • Hepatocytes / metabolism
  • Hepatocytes / virology
  • Humans
  • Inflammation / metabolism
  • Inflammation / pathology
  • Interferons / administration & dosage*
  • Liver Cirrhosis / pathology
  • Liver Cirrhosis / virology
  • Liver Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Liver Neoplasms / pathology
  • Liver Neoplasms / virology

Substances

  • CXCL10 protein, human
  • Chemokine CXCL10
  • Interferons