Exploring the liver microenvironment following successful therapy for HCV: gene expression profiling and residual T cell infiltration

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Background & aims: Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) revolutionized hepatitis C (HCV) treatment. Yet, some patients present with persistent inflammation and still face adverse outcomes, including cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, despite achieving sustained virologic response (SVR). Approach & results: This study examined liver biopsies from 22 patients before and after DAA treatment to assess gene and protein expression changes linked to disease progression. Pre-treatment, patients exhibited two distinct profiles: one characterized by high pro-inflammatory and antiviral gene expression (pre-hot), and another with weaker expression (pre-cold). Patients with pre-hot profiles were initially associated with poor outcomes (OR = 14.0, 95% CI: 1.31-178.5; p = 0.049), but this lost significance after adjusting for baseline disease severity (adjusted OR = 8.04, 95% CI: 0.18-2123.07; p = 0.328). Baseline modified hepatitis activity index (MHAI) scores (OR = 1.90, 95% CI: 0.72-6.34) and fibrosis stage (OR = 1.65, 95% CI: 0.44-9.97) trended toward predicting poor outcomes but were not significant. Post-treatment, liver enzymes decreased, inflammatory scores improved, and type I interferon pathways were restored, yet 14 of 17 patients (82.3%, 95% CI: 64.2-100%) retained persistent lymphocytic infiltrates. In parallel, spectral imaging further revealed post-treatment shifts in macrophage populations, with a significant decrease in inflammatory subsets (CD14+, CD14+/Mac387+, p<0.05) and an increase in anti-inflammatory subsets (CD16+, CD16+/CD163+, CD16+/CD68+, p<0.05). Analysis of T cell-related marker expression before and after treatment shows that mixed lymphocytic infiltration (CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD45RO+) persists within the liver despite viral clearance, with high inter-patient variability likely limiting statistical significance. Conclusions: Even after achieving SVR and normalization of gene expression, the liver retained a heterogeneous T cell infiltrate, suggesting that persistent immune activity could continue to influence the risk of adverse outcomes.

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