Reverse inflammaging: Long-term effects of HCV cure on biological age

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection can be cured with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs). However, not all sequelae of chronic hepatitis C appear to be completely reversible after sustained virologic response (SVR). Recently, chronic viral infections have been shown to be associated with biologic...

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Published in:Journal of hepatology 2023-01, Vol.78 (1), p.90-98
Main Authors: Oltmanns, Carlos, Liu, Zhaoli, Mischke, Jasmin, Tauwaldt, Jan, Mekonnen, Yonatan Ayalew, Urbanek-Quaing, Melanie, Debarry, Jennifer, Maasoumy, Benjamin, Wedemeyer, Heiner, Kraft, Anke R.M., Xu, Cheng-Jian, Cornberg, Markus
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aging
Antiviral Agents
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - pathology
cirrhosis
direct-acting antiviral
Disease Progression
DNA methylation
epigenetic age
Hepacivirus
Hepatitis C - drug therapy
Hepatitis C virus
Hepatitis C, Chronic - complications
Hepatitis C, Chronic - drug therapy
Hepatitis C, Chronic - genetics
Humans
Inflammaging
Leukocytes, Mononuclear
Liver Neoplasms - pathology
Sustained Virologic Response
sustained virological response
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Summary:Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection can be cured with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs). However, not all sequelae of chronic hepatitis C appear to be completely reversible after sustained virologic response (SVR). Recently, chronic viral infections have been shown to be associated with biological age acceleration defined by the epigenetic clock. The aim of this study was to investigate whether chronic HCV infection is associated with epigenetic changes and biological age acceleration and whether this is reversible after SVR. We included 54 well-characterized individuals with chronic hepatitis C who achieved SVR after DAA therapy at three time points: DAA treatment initiation, end of treatment, and long-term follow-up (median 96 weeks after end of treatment). Genome-wide DNA methylation status was determined in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and used to calculate epigenetic age acceleration (EAA) using Horvath’s clock. Individuals with HCV had an overall significant EAA of 3.12 years at baseline compared with -2.61 years in the age- and sex-matched reference group (p
ISSN:0168-8278
1600-0641
DOI:10.1016/j.jhep.2022.08.042