Intrahepatic MxA expression is correlated with interferon-alpha expression in chronic and fulminant hepatitis

Interferon‐alpha (IFN‐α) has potent pro‐inflammatory and anti‐viral functions. It exerts its effects by inducing intracellular proteins such as MxA. To analyse the role of intrahepatic interferon activation, IFN‐α and MxA expression was studied by immunohistochemistry in explant livers of 20 patient...

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Published in:The Journal of pathology 2001-08, Vol.194 (4), p.478-483
Main Authors: Leifeld, Ludger, Ramakers, Jan, Maria Schneiders, Angelika, Ludwig Dumoulin, Franz, Sterneck, Martina, Müller, Andreas, Sauerbruch, Tilman, Spengler, Ulrich
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antiviral Agents - metabolism
Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic - metabolism
Biological and medical sciences
fulminant hepatitis
Gastroenterology. Liver. Pancreas. Abdomen
GTP-Binding Proteins
Hepatitis, Chronic - metabolism
Hepatitis, Viral, Human - metabolism
Hepatocytes - metabolism
Humans
Immunoenzyme Techniques
interferon-alpha
Interferon-alpha - metabolism
Liver Failure - metabolism
Liver. Biliary tract. Portal circulation. Exocrine pancreas
Macrophages - metabolism
Medical sciences
MxA
Myxovirus Resistance Proteins
Other diseases. Semiology
Proteins - metabolism
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Summary:Interferon‐alpha (IFN‐α) has potent pro‐inflammatory and anti‐viral functions. It exerts its effects by inducing intracellular proteins such as MxA. To analyse the role of intrahepatic interferon activation, IFN‐α and MxA expression was studied by immunohistochemistry in explant livers of 20 patients with fulminant hepatic failure (FHF), 41 patients with chronic liver disease (CLD), and ten normal controls (NCs). In NCs only small numbers of Kupffer cells, but no hepatocytes, showed IFN‐α and MxA expression. In contrast, significantly enhanced numbers of IFN‐α‐ and MxA‐positive Kupffer cells, along with small numbers of MxA‐positive and larger numbers of IFN‐α‐positive lymphocytes, were found in CLD and in FHF. MxA protein was also expressed on hepatocytes and bile ducts in the vicinity of IFN‐α‐positive inflammatory infiltrates (hepatocytes: NCs: 0%, CLD: 8%, FHF: 68%; bile ducts: NCs: 19%, CLD: 46%, FHF: 83%). A significant correlation was found between the numbers of IFN‐α‐ and MxA‐positive cells (r=0.67, p
ISSN:0022-3417
1096-9896
DOI:10.1002/path.903