Are Foxp3+Cells Involved in Hyporesponsiveness to Interferon/Ribavirin Therapy in Chronic Hepatitis C?

We aimed to clarify the role of liver-infiltrating FoxP3+T cells for the response to therapy in chronic hepatitis C. Liver biopsies from 52 patients were collected prior to the start of interferon/ribavirin treatment, and the kinetics of viral decay during treatment were compared in patients with high and low infiltration of FoxP3+ cells. These groups did not differ with respect to the effectiveness of early viral clearance or the frequency of sustained viral response. Our data imply that FoxP3+ cell-mediated immunosuppression is not a major mechanism of hyporesponsiveness to interferon-based therapy in chronic hepatitis C.