Hepatitis C And Cellular Biology Hepatitis C Term Paper

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Hepatitis C and Cellular Biology

Hepatitis C is a virus that affects over 2% of the global population (Belon & Frick, 2009). It is a virus that leads to chronic liver disease, and has many complications, including cirrhosis, fibrosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (Belon & Frick, 2009), and it is the leading cause of liver transplantation among countries in the developed world (Whidby et al., 2009). Hepatitis C establishes and maintains a life-long infection in individuals despite the fact that the virus is detected and targeted by immune mechanisms of the host (Sharma, 2010). The virus survives and persists due to rapid mutations that allow the virus to escape surveillance by immune mechanisms (Sharma, 2010). The hepatitis C virus itself is a very small hepatotropic RNA virus that is enveloped and spherical (Sharma, 2010). The only available treatment option for Hepatitis C is administration of a long-acting pegylated-interferon-alpha in combination with nucleoside analog ribavirin (Sharma, 2010). This treatment has been demonstrated as only moderately successful at best (Sharma, 2010). Currently there are no selective antiviral therapies or vaccines for prevention available (Sharma, 2010). The discovery of new therapies for the treatment of Hepatitis C is complicated by the complex lifecycle of the virus (Sharma, 2010).

The efficacy of treatment depends mostly on the initial viral load and the infecting strain of the virus (Whidby et al., 2009).

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A major obstacle for the development of viable therapies for hepatitis C was the failure scientists experienced in trying to replicate and produce the virus in cell culture (Sharma, 2010). In 2005, however, an in vitro cell culture system was developed for hepatitis C This development allowed researchers to effectively investigate the complete lifecycle of the virus (Sharma, 2010). This opened a doorway into the potential development of effective antiviral therapies and preventative vaccines.

At present, there are no approved antiviral therapies specifically targeted at hepatitis C The advances in understanding of the lifecycle of the virus have enabled the development of various inhibitors and anti-viral agents, which are currently in clinical trials (Sharma, 2010). The inhibitors under development and clinical investigation target several hepatitis C receptors, including NS3/4A, HCV-IRES, NS5A, and NS5B (Sharma, 2010). Also, the inhibition of alpha-glucosidase enzyme by inhibitors like celgosivir, n-butyl deoxynojirimycin and N-(n-nonyl) deoxynojirimycin offers therapeutic option since they affect morphogenesis of the virus (Sharma, 2010).

A study by Whidby et al. (2009) demonstrated how infection by the hepatitis C virus may be blocked by a form of envelope protein 2 ectodomain. These researchers recognized that infection by the virus occurs by endosomal acidification, which indicates the involvement of pH in the fusion of the viral envelope.....

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