Jassim Tabarak S, Talib Sura S, Jaber Nawar R, Sahib Dina H, Ali Rusul W, Al-Rubaii Bahaa
Department of Plant Biotechnology, College of Biotechnology, Al-Nahrain University, Baghdad, Iraq.
Biotechnology Research Center, Department of Ecology, Al-Nahrain University, Baghdad, Iraq.
Polim Med. 2025 Jan-Jun;55(1):21-30. doi: 10.17219/pim/199333.
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) causes long-term liver disease. Its capacity to influence the host immune system makes its pathogenesis more complicated. Targeting the IFITM3 gene presents a promising therapeutic strategy for treating HCV infections, as it blocks the virus from entering host cells.
This study examines how HCV viral loads affect IFITM3 gene expression.
This study included 100 patient samples diagnosed with HCV through serological methods and confirmed as positive. Then, viral and human RNA were extracted using commercial kits. The viral RNA was then quantified using one-step real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), enabling an accurate assessment of viral load in the blood. Following this, human RNA was converted to cDNA and quantified using qPCR to investigate IFITM3 gene expression.
The distribution of blood groups among HCV-positive and HCV-negative samples showed that samples with the Oblood group had a significantly higher frequency of HCV positivity (18.4%) compared to the HCV-negative group (2.0%). Age analysis indicated a significant difference between HCV-positive and HCV-negative individuals with mean age of 37.8 ±1.48 years and 44.1 ±1.56 years, respectively. The expression levels of the IFITM3 gene were significantly higher in the HCV-positive group (4.21 ±1.17 fold) compared to the HCV-negative group (1.36 ±0.157 fold), with a p-value of 0.016. A correlation analysis between IFITM3 gene expression levels and HCV viral loads showed r-value of 0.343, indicating a moderate positive correlation, with p-value of 0.016.
Strong correlations observed in this study show the need for a comprehensive understanding and management approach to HCV disease. These relationships should be studied longitudinally to verify causality and assess potential interventions. IFITM3 gene expression as a biomarker for HCV infection and disease progression warrants further investigation.
丙型肝炎病毒（HCV）可导致长期肝脏疾病。其影响宿主免疫系统的能力使其发病机制更加复杂。靶向IFITM3基因是治疗HCV感染的一种有前景的治疗策略，因为它可阻止病毒进入宿主细胞。
本研究探讨HCV病毒载量如何影响IFITM3基因表达。
本研究纳入了100例经血清学方法诊断为HCV且确诊为阳性的患者样本。然后，使用商业试剂盒提取病毒RNA和人RNA。接着，使用一步法实时聚合酶链反应（qPCR）对病毒RNA进行定量，从而准确评估血液中的病毒载量。在此之后，将人RNA逆转录为cDNA并使用qPCR进行定量，以研究IFITM3基因表达。
HCV阳性和HCV阴性样本的血型分布显示，O型血样本的HCV阳性频率（18.4%）显著高于HCV阴性组（2.0%）。年龄分析表明，HCV阳性和HCV阴性个体之间存在显著差异，平均年龄分别为37.8±1.48岁和44.1±1.56岁。与HCV阴性组（1.36±0.157倍）相比，HCV阳性组中IFITM3基因的表达水平显著更高（4.21±1.17倍），p值为0.016。IFITM3基因表达水平与HCV病毒载量之间的相关性分析显示r值为0.343，表明存在中度正相关，p值为0.016。
本研究中观察到的强相关性表明，需要对HCV疾病进行全面的理解和管理。应纵向研究这些关系以验证因果关系并评估潜在干预措施。IFITM3基因表达作为HCV感染和疾病进展的生物标志物值得进一步研究。
