Table 2.

Up-regulation of allostimulatory capacity of dendritic cells from patients with chronic hepatitis C due to antiviral therapy

Sources of dendritic cells	No. of subjects	Levels of blastogenesis (cpm)
(a) Patients with CHC before therapy	10	3 063 ± 3324
(b) Patients with CHC, 4 weeks after antiviral therapy	10	35 605 ± 20 930*
(c) Normal controls	14	30 345 ± 7654

Circulating dendritic cells (DC) were isolated from 10 patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) before the start of antiviral therapy (a) and 4 weeks after commencement of antiviral therapy (b). Circulating DCs were also isolated from 14 normal volunteers (C). The levels of blastogenesis [expressed as counts per minute (cpm)] of allogenic mixed leucocyte reaction reflected the T cell stimulatory capacity of circulating DCs. Data are shown as mean and standard deviation of cpm.

^*P < 0·01 compared to allostimulatory capacity of DC prior to antiviral therapy.