Abstract

Objective: To determine the mRNA levels of absent in melanoma 2 (AIM2), apoptosis-associated speck like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain (ASC) and caspase-1 in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of chronic hepatitis B virus (CHB) infected patients. Methods: This study was conducted on 60 CHB patients and 60 healthy controls and the mRNA levels of AIM2, ASC and caspase-1 were examined in parallel with beta-actin (as housekeeping gene) using real-time polymerase chain reaction technique. Results: Our results indicated that expression of ASC and caspase-1 but not AIM2 were significantly decreased in peripheral blood mononuclear cells isolated from CHB patients compared to healthy controls. Conclusions: According to our results, it is likely that CHB patients are unable to firmly express ASC and caspase-1 genes and in turn properly activate IL1β and IL-18 subsequent to hepatitis B virus infection. Thus, these results propose a mechanism which almost partially may describe a reasonable fact that why the infection is sustained in the CHB patients.

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