Association of signal transducer and activator of transcription, interleukin-6, and interleukin-10 positivity with antiviral treatment in cirrhotic liver samples from patients with the hepatitis B or C virus

Objective: Terminal liver disease due to viral hepatitis infections is an important health problem. This study aimed to compare the expression of members of the signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) family (STAT-1, -2, -3, -5a, and -5b) and interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-10 in hepatectomy material from patients who received antiviral treatment and underwent a liver transplantation due to terminal liver failure. Methods: The study consisted of 45 patients who underwent a liver transplantation due to chronic liver failure associated with viral hepatitis (hepatitis C virus [HCV] or hepatitis B virus [HBV]). The patients were divided into three groups according to the drug treatments they received prior to the liver transplantation: Group A: lamivudine, Group B: adefovir, and Group C: interferon or interferon + ribavirin. Results: In the study population, 9 (20%) patients were females and 36 (80%) were males. The mean age was 45.7 (29–69) years. STAT-2, -3, and IL-6 expression were significantly higher in hepatocytes in Group A (p<0.05). Conclusion: High STAT-3, high IL-6, and low STAT-1 expression were associated with optimum hepatocyte regeneration and liver metabolic function. In this regard, lamivudine was the most effective drug in the present study.