Objective. Up to now, little was known about the immunological changes of chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients treated with directacting\nantiviral agents (DAAs); we try to explore the effect of DAAs on the frequency of monocytes, NK cells, and cytokines\nthat promote their activation. Methods. 15 treatment-naive CHC patients and 10 healthy controls were recruited. Patients were\nexamined before DAAs therapy (0 w) and at week 4 (4w) and week 12 (12w) of therapy. Percentage of monocytes and NK cells of\nthe peripheral blood was analyzed by flow cytometry. Serum cytokines IL-12, IL-18, CXCL10, CXCL11, sCD14, and sCD163 were\nmeasured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Results.The frequencyofCD3ââ?¬â??CD16+CD56+ NKcells and classic CD14++CD16âË?â??\nmonocytes decreased, while CD14+CD16+ monocytes and cytokines IL-12, IL-18, CXCL10, CXCL11, sCD14, and sCD163 increased\nat 0 w compared to healthy controls. During DAAs treatment, the decreased NK cells and classic monocytes gradually increased\nto normal levels; the increased inflammatory monocytes and cytokines IL-12 and CXCL11 decreased to normal levels, but the\nincreased cytokines IL-18, CXCL10, sCD14, and sCD163 still remained at high levels at 12 w though they decreased rapidly from\n0w. Conclusion. Our results showed that DAAs treatment attenuated the activation of monocytes and NK cells in CHC patients.\nTrial registration number is NCT03063723.
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