©The Author(s) 2015. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Hepatol. Nov 8, 2015; 7(25): 2590-2596
Published online Nov 8, 2015. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v7.i25.2590
Published online Nov 8, 2015. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v7.i25.2590
Ribavirin contributes to eradicate hepatitis C virus through polarization of T helper 1/2 cell balance into T helper 1 dominance
Katsuhisa Nakatsuka, Masanori Atsukawa, Chiaki Kawamoto, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo 113-8603, Japan
Masumi Shimizu, Hidemi Takahashi, Microbiology and Immunology, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo 113-8603, Japan
Author contributions: All authors contributed to this work.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Authors declare no conflict of interest for this review article.
Correspondence to: Katsuhisa Nakatsuka, MD, PhD, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Nippon Medical School, 1-1-5, Sendagi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8603, Japan. kaynet@nms.ac.jp
Telephone: +81-44-7335181 Fax: +81-44-3968087
Received: April 27, 2015
Peer-review started: May 1, 2015
First decision: August 4, 2015
Revised: August 22, 2015
Accepted: October 12, 2015
Article in press: October 13, 2015
Published online: November 8, 2015
Processing time: 195 Days and 23.5 Hours
Peer-review started: May 1, 2015
First decision: August 4, 2015
Revised: August 22, 2015
Accepted: October 12, 2015
Article in press: October 13, 2015
Published online: November 8, 2015
Processing time: 195 Days and 23.5 Hours
Core Tip
Core tip: Ribavirin has the potential to regulate the T-helper (Th) 1/2 cell balance into Th1 dominance by modulating the co-stimulatory signaling between antigen-presenting cells and naïve Th cells as well as the inhibitory activity of T-regulatory cells. These are considered useful in treating hepatitis C virus infection, especially to inhibit hepatocellular carcinoma development.