High serum level of P-selectin in patients responded to interferon-α treatment for chronic hepatitis C

Circulating soluble P-selectin levels in sera of patients with chronic hepatitis C treated with natural interferon-α were investigated. Serum soluble P-selectin levels gradually increased after venesection when the sera were incubated at room temperature without serum separation, but the levels did not exceed more than 300 ng ml^-1 during 3 h. Serum soluble P-selectin levels in patients who completely responded to interferon therapy were significantly higher than those in healthy subjects and other patients. Those levels in complete responders (CR) increased more than the base line levels 2 weeks after the initiation of the therapy and decreased to the base line levels 6 months after the end of the therapy, but the levels were still significantly higher than those in healthy subjects and non-responders (NR). The present preliminary study suggests that serum soluble P-selectin level is another useful marker for predicting response to natural interferon-α treatment in patients with chronic hepatitis C in addition to the established viral factors identified previously.