Cyclosporin A Suppresses Replication of Hepatitis C Virus Genome in Cultured Hepatocytes

Abstract

Persistent infection of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major cause of liver diseases such as chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Searching for a substance with anti–HCV potential, we examined the effects of a variety of compounds on HCV replication using a HCV subgenomic replicon cell culture system. Consequently, the immunosuppressant cyclosporin A (CsA) was found to have a suppressive effect on the HCV replicon RNA level and HCV protein expression in these cells. CsA also inhibited multiplication of the HCV genome in a cultured human hepatocyte cell line infected with HCV using HCV–positive plasma. This anti–HCV activity of CsA appeared to be independent of its immunosuppressive function. In conclusion, our results suggest that CsA may represent a new approach for the development of anti–HCV therapy.