{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,18]],"date-time":"2026-07-18T03:21:55Z","timestamp":1784344915718,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,6,9]],"date-time":"2021-06-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1623196800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100003593","name":"Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient\u00edfico e Tecnol\u00f3gico","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["#480128\/2013-8"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["#480128\/2013-8"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100003593","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100003593","name":"Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient\u00edfico e Tecnol\u00f3gico","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["#301869\/2017-0"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["#301869\/2017-0"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100003593","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Viruses"],"abstract":"<jats:p>An inefficient immune response against the hepatitis C virus (HCV), combined with viral evasion mechanisms, is responsible for the chronicity of infection. The need to evaluate the innate mechanisms of the immune response, such as TLR3 and IFN-\u03bb3, and their relationship with the virus\u2013host interaction is important for understanding the pathogenesis of chronic hepatitis C. The present study aimed to investigate the gene expressions of TRL3 and IFNL3 in liver tissue, seeking to evaluate whether these could be potential biomarkers of HCV infection. A total of 23 liver biopsy samples were collected from patients with chronic HCV, and 8 biopsies were collected from healthy control patients. RNA extraction, reverse transcription and qPCR were performed to quantify the relative gene expressions of TLR3 and IFNL3. Data on the viral load; AST, ALT, GGT and AFP levels; and the viral genotype were collected from the patients\u2032 medical records. The intrahepatic expression of TLR3 (p = 0.0326) was higher in chronic HCV carriers than in the control group, and the expression of IFNL3 (p = 0.0037) was lower in chronic HCV carriers than in the healthy control group. The expression levels of TLR3 (p = 0.0030) and IFNL3 (p = 0.0036) were higher in the early stages of fibrosis and of necroinflammatory activity in the liver; in contrast, TLR3 and IFNL3 expressions were lower in the more advanced stages of fibrosis and inflammation. There was no correlation between the gene expression and the serum viral load. Regarding the initial METAVIR scale scores, liver transaminase levels were lower in patients with advanced fibrosis when correlated with TLR3 and IFNL3 gene expressions. The results suggest that in the early stages of the development of hepatic fibrosis, TLR3 and IFN-\u03bb3 play important roles in the antiviral response and in the modulation of the tolerogenic liver environment because there is a decrease in the intrahepatic expressions of TLR3 and IFNL3 in the advanced stages of fibrosis, probably due to viral evasion mechanisms.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/v13061103","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,6,9]],"date-time":"2021-06-09T14:16:04Z","timestamp":1623248164000},"page":"1103","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Intrahepatic TLR3 and IFNL3 Expressions Are Associated with Stages of Fibrosis in Chronic Hepatitis C"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6950-589X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Keyla Santos","family":"Guedes de S\u00e1","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Virology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Par\u00e1, Bel\u00e9m 66.075-110, PA, Brazil"},{"name":"Graduate Program in Biology of Infectious and Parasitic Agents\u2014PPG-BAIP, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Par\u00e1, Bel\u00e9m 66.075-110, PA, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ednelza da Silva Gra\u00e7a","family":"Amoras","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Virology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Par\u00e1, Bel\u00e9m 66.075-110, PA, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Simone Regina Souza da Silva","family":"Conde","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Jo\u00e3o de Barros Barreto University Hospital, Federal University of Par\u00e1, Bel\u00e9m 66073-000, PA, Brazil"},{"name":"School of Medicine, Institute of Health Sciences, Federal University of Par\u00e1, Umarizal, Bel\u00e9m 66.075-110, PA, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2014-2770","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maria Alice Freitas","family":"Queiroz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Virology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Par\u00e1, Bel\u00e9m 66.075-110, PA, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Izaura Maria Vieira","family":"Cayres-Vallinoto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Virology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Par\u00e1, Bel\u00e9m 66.075-110, PA, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ricardo","family":"Ishak","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Virology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Par\u00e1, Bel\u00e9m 66.075-110, PA, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1135-6507","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Antonio Carlos Ros\u00e1rio","family":"Vallinoto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Virology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Par\u00e1, Bel\u00e9m 66.075-110, PA, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,6,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Polaris Observatory HCV Collaborators (2017). 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