Assessment of IL-17 and TNF- α Levels and Liver Function among Iraqi Hepatitis B Patients

Abstract

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a global health problem that causes liver inflammation, fibrosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Chemokines, such as Interleukin-17 (IL-17) and Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF- α) are essential for immune functions but their expression profiles and associations with HBV progression in Iraqi patients are poorly understood. The purpose of the study was to compare the levels of serum IL-17 and TNF- α and their correlation with the severity of the disease with the help of liver enzymes (ALT, AST, and ALP).  The case-control study was involving100 individuals: 60 acute HBV, 20 chronic HBV, 10 healthy controls and10 participants were excluded .serum levels of IL-17 and TNF-α were measured using ELISA while liver enzymes were determined by colorimetric method. Statistical analysis demonstrated significant differences (P < 0.01) between the study groups. Serum levels of IL-17 and TNF- α were much higher in HBV patients than in healthy controls, and are even higher in acute infection. There were also significant results of liver enzyme activities (ALT, AST, and ALP) in the acute group, in contrast to the chronic and control groups. These findings suggest that the elevated IL-17 and TNF- α levels are associated with HBV infection among Iraqi patients and the combined immunological and liver enzyme parameters can be useful indicators to monitor HBV progression and chronicity.