Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is associated with both chronic liver disorders and several extrahepatic manifestations including renal disease. Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3), a component of the innate immune system, is a pathogen recognition receptor that recognizes viral double-stranded RNA.
Objective: This work investigated TLR3 expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from HCV-positive patients with glomerulonephritis.
Methods: One hundred and thirty patients with glomerulonephritis were initially enrolled in the study. After exclusion of 52 patients with secondary glomerulonephritis, 78 patients were screened for HCV infection. TLR3 expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells was studied in 46 patients with HCV-positive glomerulonephritis and 32 patients with HCV-negative glomerulonephritis using a real-time PCR comparative quantitation approach and results were compared to a control group of 20 healthy subjects.
Results: TLR3 expression was significantly higher in patients with HCV-positive glomerulonephritis than in HCV negative patients and controls (p < 0.0001). TLR3 expression correlated positively with HCV viral load, interleukin-1β, serum creatinine and inversely with creatinine clearance in patients with HCV-positive glomerulonephritis.
Conclusion: This work shows that TLR3 expression is upregulated in HCV-positive patients with glomerulonephritis. Overexpression is associated with reduced renal function and increased interleukin 1β level.