Introduction:

The study of patients infected with hepatitis C virus revealed that polymorphisms of a single nucleotide of the interleukin-10 (IL10) gene influence the sustained virological response to the treatment with interferon and ribavirin, and the immunopathogenesis of the disease.

Objective:

Determine the frequency of single-nucleotide polymorphisms from the interleukin-10 gene promoter region according to the sustained virological response and the degree of liver injury.

Methods:

A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted and hepatitis C viral load was determined by RT-PCR. A sample of 25 Cuban HIV/HCV coinfected patients were studied 24 weeks after treatment with interferon and ribavirin. To evaluate the genetic variability of interleukin 10, the single-nucleotide polymorphisms were identified by nucleotide sequencing, -592 (A>C) and -819 (T>C). The degree of liver fibrosis was estimated by the aspartate aminotransferase / platelet index.

Results:

Of the patients studied, 44.0% (11/25) achieved a sustained virological response and 56.0% (14/25) did not. In individuals displaying the response, a predominance was found of low interleukin-10 producing genotypes, -592AA (36.3% vs. 21.4%) and -819TT (54.5% vs. 21.4%). In those cases, allele frequency analysis showed a greater allele T frequency for SNP -819 (p= 0.0470). The aspartate aminotransferase / platelet index was compatible with kidney fibrosis without cirrhosis in patients without a sustained virological response, and indicated an absence of liver injury in coinfected patients displaying a response.

Conclusions:

Results suggest that the variants evaluated of single-nucleotide polymorphisms of the interleukin-10 gene could be related to the sustained virological response and the pathogenesis of hepatitis C in the patients studied.

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