Role of Dendritic Cells in Chronic HCV Infection and its Correlation with Interferon and Ribavirin Treatment Outcomes

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infects more than 170 million people worldwide and is a major public health risk. This study was conducted to investigate the role of dendritic Cells in Chronic HCV Infection during the course of Interferon and Ribavirin treatment. Mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were separated from peripheral blood and cultured in presence of either R848 or TNF- for 48 hrs. At the end of culture period, cytokines, IL-10 and IFN- were quantified in the culture supernatants by ELISA.