Alcohol aggravates hepatitis C - US researchers have shown that alcohol consumption could aggravate the hepatitis C virus in human liver cells.

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Alcohol aggravates hepatitis C
30/06/2003 17:06:00

US researchers have shown that alcohol consumption could aggravate the hepatitis C virus in human liver cells. The team, from The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, says that alcohol increases the activity of a protein called nuclear factor kappa B, causing the hepatitis C virus to replicate. In addition, alcohol consumption interferes with the antiviral activity of interferon-alpha, a key therapy used for patients infected with the disease. The researchers also found that naltrexone, a drug used to help alcoholics avoid relapse, may block the negative effects of alcohol in promoting hepatitis C infection. The current research builds on previous work the team had carried out that discovered that morphine stimulated the hepatitis C virus in liver cells. What occurs, they explain, is that alcohol and morphine activate opioid systems that are present in liver cells. These systems contain biological pathways that produce natural opiates that may play a crucial role in drug and alcoholic addiction, explains research team leader Dr Wen-Zhe Ho. The researchers say that the process may offer an explanation as to why naltrexone, which works by blocking opiates from binding to their receptors on cell membranes, reduces the effects of alcohol. “Although further study is needed, our results suggest that naltrexone might supply additional benefits in reducing hepatitis C infection,” said Dr Ho. The research is published in the journal Hepatology. © HMG Worldwide 2003

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