Investigating the Role of Interleukin 8, Toll-Like Receptor 3, and Liver Enzymes in Iraqi Patients with Hepatitis C Virus

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the most common chronic blood-borne infection. Individual variations in immune responses may help define successful resistance to infection with HCV. Objective: This study was planned to estimate the levels of IL-8, TLR3, and liver enzymes in HCV patients. Methods: Three hundred blood samples were collected from HCV patients and 50 samples from healthy controls from December 2022 to May 2023. All samples underwent HCV Ab and viral load measurements for HCV (Ab+). Ninety samples were taken at the age (20-60) years and then divided into three groups. The first group consisted of thirty HCV-infected patients with detectable viral loads, while the second group consisted of 30 HCV-infected patients with undetectable viral loads. The last group consisted of 30 healthy individuals for comparison purposes. Results: This study showed there were non-statistical differences between the studied group in age and sex and a high statistical difference in ALT, AST, and ALP, while there were non-statistical differences with ALB, BILD, and TSB. The mean value of IL-8 and TLR-3 was higher in infection with undetectable viral load patients than in the other group. Conclusions: This study concluded that IL-8 and TLR-3 had higher levels in HCV undetectable viral load patients than in the other group.