Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36016428›Full record

ArticleViruses2022

17β-Oestradiol Protects from Hepatitis C Virus Infection through Induction of Type I Interferon.

Matteo Nazzareno Barbaglia, James Michael Harris, Artem Smirnov, Michela Emma Burlone, Cristina Rigamonti, Mario Pirisi, Rosalba Minisini, Andrea Magri

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Viruses, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
1.2field-weighted citation impact, top 21% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Estrogen and viral infection.Frontiers in immunology · 2025
    Review
  4. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Matteo Nazzareno BarbagliaDepartment of Translational Medicine, Università del Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-9271-7508
James Michael HarrisNuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FZ, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-1880-3496
Artem SmirnovLudwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-1575-8725
Michela Emma BurloneDepartment of Translational Medicine, Università del Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy.
Cristina RigamontiDepartment of Translational Medicine, Università del Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-2089-4139
Mario PirisiDepartment of Translational Medicine, Università del Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-9740-0155
Rosalba MinisiniDepartment of Translational Medicine, Università del Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-7548-9731
Andrea MagriDepartment of Translational Medicine, Università del Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-7143-7168
Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale “Amedeo Avogadro” · ITUniversity of Oxford · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND

aimsSex hormones are widely recognised to act as protective factors against several viral infections. Specifically, females infected by the hepatitis C virus display higher clearance rates and reduced disease progression than those found in males. Through modulation of particle release and spread, 17β-oestradiol controls HCV's life cycle. We investigated the mechanism(s) behind oestrogen's antiviral effect.

methodsWe used cell culture-derived hepatitis C virus in in vitro assays to evaluate the effect of 17β-oestradiol on the innate immune response. Host immune responses were evaluated by enumerating gene transcripts via RT-qPCR in cells exposed to oestrogen in the presence or absence of viral infection. Antiviral effects were determined by focus-forming unit assay or HCV RNA quantification.

resultsStimulation of 17β-oestradiol triggers a pre-activated antiviral state in hepatocytes, which can be maintained for several hours after the hormone is removed. This induction results in the elevation of several innate immune genes, such as interferon alpha and beta, tumour necrosis factor, toll-like receptor 3 and interferon regulatory factor 5. We demonstrated that this pre-activation of immune response signalling is not affected by a viral presence, and the antiviral state can be ablated using an interferon-alpha/beta receptor alpha inhibitor. Finally, we proved that the oestrogen-induced stimulation is essential to generate an antiviral microenvironment mediated by activation of type I interferons.

conclusionResulting in viral control and suppression, 17β-oestradiol induces an interferon-mediated antiviral state in hepatocytes. Oestrogen-stimulated cells modulate the immune response through secretion of type I interferon, which can be countered by blocking interferon-alpha/beta receptor alpha signalling.

Indexed as

Hepatitis CInterferon Type IAntiviral AgentsEstradiolEstrogensFemaleHepacivirusHepatocytesHumansImmunity, InnateInterferon-alphaMaleVirus ReplicationAntiviral AgentsEstradiolEstrogensInterferon-alphaInterferon Type Ihepatitis Cinterferonoestrogen

Identifiers

PMID36016428
PMCPMC9415988
OpenAlexW4292335960

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.