Abstract
Infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) remains one of the serious human diseases worldwide, especially in Egypt, which can lead to cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the exact molecular mechanism of HCC progress in HCV-infected patients remains unclear. Soluble fibrinogen-like protein 2 (sFGL2) is a modulator of the immune response that is secreted by T cells and inhibits maturation of dendritic cells and T cell proliferation. In the current study, serum sFGL2 levels were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique in 30 chronic HCV-infected patients (HCV group), 30 chronic HCV-infected patients with HCC (HCC group), and 12 healthy individuals (control group). Moreover, serum levels of soluble FAS ligand (sFASL) and interferon gamma (IFN-γ) were analyzed and correlated with sFGL2 levels. According to our results, serum sFGL2 levels were significantly elevated in all patients with chronic HCV infection. However, HCC patients showed lower sFGL2 levels than HCV-infected patients without HCC incidence. In addition, serum sFASL levels were significantly elevated in both HCV and HCC groups, whereas serum IFN-γ levels were only elevated in the HCC group. Interestingly, sFGL2 correlated positively with serum total bilirubin level and negatively with serum levels of sFASL, IFN-γ, and albumin in HCV and HCC groups. Thus, conclusively, sFGL2 level increases in Egyptian HCV-infected and HCC patients. Taken together, the current work may open future possibility of designing new treatment strategies for HCV infection targeting sFGL2 and its immunosuppressive effect.