Response Modifier (Arabinoxylan Rice Bran/MGN-3/Biobran) With Interferon-Alpha for HCV

Summary

Current treatments for Hepatitis C virus (HCV) have severe side effects and are very expensive. There is a need to explore effective natural therapies against HCV that are less toxic and more cost-effective. 37 chronic HCV infected patients were randomized into two groups and treated with PEG interferon plus ribavirin for the first group or Biobran, an arabinoxylan from rice bran (1 g/day) for the second group. Viremia level, liver enzymes, γ-interferon (IFN-γ) levels in serum, and toxicity were checked before and three months after treatment.

Timeline

Start

2012-07

Primary completion

2015-06

Completion

2015-06

Publications

• Background University of Washington/Seattle STD/HIV Prevention Training Center. Hepatitis Web Study. 2013. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/Resources/Professionals/PDFs/ABCTable.pdf. Accessed 29 November 2015.
• Background Sievert W, Altraif I, Razavi HA, Abdo A, Ahmed EA, Alomair A, Amarapurkar D, Chen CH, Dou X, El Khayat H, Elshazly M, Esmat G, Guan R, Han KH, Koike K, Largen A, McCaughan G, Mogawer S, Monis A, Nawaz A, Piratvisuth T, Sanai FM, Sharara AI, Sibbel S, Sood A, Suh DJ, Wallace C, Young K, Negro F. A systematic review of hepatitis C virus epidemiology in Asia, Australia and Egypt. Liver Int. 2011 Jul;31 Suppl 2:61-80. doi: 10.1111/j.1478-3231.2011.02540.x.
• Background Lavanchy D. Evolving epidemiology of hepatitis C virus. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2011 Feb;17(2):107-15. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-0691.2010.03432.x.
• Background Ghoneum M. Anti-HIV activity in vitro of MGN-3, an activated arabinoxylane from rice bran. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1998 Feb 4;243(1):25-9. doi: 10.1006/bbrc.1997.8047.
• Background Ghoneum M. Enhancement of human natural killer cell activity by modified arabinoxylane from rice bran (MGN-3). Int J Immunotherapy 1998; XIV(2):89-99.
• Background Ghoneum M, Abedi S. Enhancement of natural killer cell activity of aged mice by modified arabinoxylan rice bran (MGN-3/Biobran). J Pharm Pharmacol. 2004 Dec;56(12):1581-8. doi: 10.1211/0022357044922.
• Background Cholujova D, Jakubikova J, Czako B, Martisova M, Hunakova L, Duraj J, Mistrik M, Sedlak J. MGN-3 arabinoxylan rice bran modulates innate immunity in multiple myeloma patients. Cancer Immunol Immunother. 2013 Mar;62(3):437-45. doi: 10.1007/s00262-012-1344-z. Epub 2012 Sep 2.
• Background Perez-Martinez A, Valentin J, Fernandez L, Hernandez-Jimenez E, Lopez-Collazo E, Zerbes P, Schworer E, Nunez F, Martin IG, Sallis H, Diaz MA, Handgretinger R, Pfeiffer MM. Arabinoxylan rice bran (MGN-3/Biobran) enhances natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity against neuroblastoma in vitro and in vivo. Cytotherapy. 2015 May;17(5):601-12. doi: 10.1016/j.jcyt.2014.11.001. Epub 2014 Dec 23.
• Background Cholujova D, Jakubikova J, Sedlak J. BioBran-augmented maturation of human monocyte-derived dendritic cells. Neoplasma. 2009;56(2):89-95. doi: 10.4149/neo_2009_02_89.
• Background Ghoneum M, Agrawal S. Activation of human monocyte-derived dendritic cells in vitro by the biological response modifier arabinoxylan rice bran (MGN-3/Biobran). Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol. 2011 Oct-Dec;24(4):941-8. doi: 10.1177/039463201102400412.
• Background Ghoneum M, Agrawal S. Mgn-3/biobran enhances generation of cytotoxic CD8+ T cells via upregulation of dec-205 expression on dendritic cells. Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol. 2014 Oct-Dec;27(4):523-30. doi: 10.1177/039463201402700408.
• Background Ghoneum M, Jewett A. Production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interferon-gamma from human peripheral blood lymphocytes by MGN-3, a modified arabinoxylan from rice bran, and its synergy with interleukin-2 in vitro. Cancer Detect Prev. 2000;24(4):314-24.
• Background Noaman E, Badr El-Din NK, Bibars MA, Abou Mossallam AA, Ghoneum M. Antioxidant potential by arabinoxylan rice bran, MGN-3/biobran, represents a mechanism for its oncostatic effect against murine solid Ehrlich carcinoma. Cancer Lett. 2008 Sep 18;268(2):348-59. doi: 10.1016/j.canlet.2008.04.012. Epub 2008 Jun 12.
• Background Ghoneum M, Badr El-Din NK, Abdel Fattah SM, Tolentino L. Arabinoxylan rice bran (MGN-3/Biobran) provides protection against whole-body gamma-irradiation in mice via restoration of hematopoietic tissues. J Radiat Res. 2013 May;54(3):419-29. doi: 10.1093/jrr/rrs119. Epub 2013 Jan 3.
• Background Ghoneum M. Anti-HIV activity by MGN-3 in vitro. XI International Conference on AIDS. Vancouver, July 7-12, 1996.
• Background Tazawa K, Ichihashi K, Fuji T, Omura K, Anazawa M, Maeda H. The orally administration of the Hydrolysis Rice Bran prevents a common cold syndrome for the elderly people based on the immunomodulatory function. J Trad Med 2003; 20:132-41.
• Background Caroleo B, Gallelli L, Staltari O, De Sarro G, Guadagnino V. Serum transaminase elevations during pegylated interferon treatment of chronic HCV hepatitis probably induced by polyethylene glycol. Intervirology. 2008;51(6):407-9. doi: 10.1159/000205266. Epub 2009 Mar 4.
• Background Kleppinger EL, Ragan AP. Elevated hepatic transaminases associated with the use of interferon alfacon-1 and ribavirin. Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2009 Mar 1;66(5):465-8. doi: 10.2146/ajhp080243.
• Background Levent G, Ali A, Ahmet A, Polat EC, Aytac C, Ayse E, Ahmet S. Oxidative stress and antioxidant defense in patients with chronic hepatitis C patients before and after pegylated interferon alfa-2b plus ribavirin therapy. J Transl Med. 2006 Jun 20;4:25. doi: 10.1186/1479-5876-4-25.
• Background Tatsumi T, Takehara T, Miyagi T, Nakazuru S, Mita E, Kanto T, Hiramatsu N, Hayashi N. Hepatitis C virus-specific CD8+ T cell frequencies are associated with the responses of pegylated interferon-alpha and ribavirin combination therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection. Hepatol Res. 2011 Jan;41(1):30-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1872-034X.2010.00734.x. Epub 2010 Oct 7.
• Background Sreenarasimhaiah J, Jaramillo A, Crippin J, Lisker-Melman M, Chapman WC, Mohanakumar T. Concomitant augmentation of type 1 CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses during successful interferon-alpha and ribavirin treatment for chronic hepatitis C virus infection. Hum Immunol. 2003 May;64(5):497-504. doi: 10.1016/s0198-8859(03)00041-7.
• Background Baranova I, Vishnyakova T, Bocharov A, Chen Z, Remaley AT, Stonik J, Eggerman TL, Patterson AP. Lipopolysaccharide down regulates both scavenger receptor B1 and ATP binding cassette transporter A1 in RAW cells. Infect Immun. 2002 Jun;70(6):2995-3003. doi: 10.1128/IAI.70.6.2995-3003.2002.
• Background Rice CM. New insights into HCV replication: potential antiviral targets. Top Antivir Med. 2011 Aug-Sep;19(3):117-20.
• Background Alter HJ, Liang TJ. Hepatitis C: the end of the beginning and possibly the beginning of the end. Ann Intern Med. 2012 Feb 21;156(4):317-8. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-156-4-201202210-00014. No abstract available.
• Background Park Y, Pham TX, Lee J. Lipopolysaccharide represses the expression of ATP-binding cassette transporter G1 and scavenger receptor class B, type I in murine macrophages. Inflamm Res. 2012 May;61(5):465-72. doi: 10.1007/s00011-011-0433-3. Epub 2012 Jan 13.
• Background Scheel TK, Rice CM. Understanding the hepatitis C virus life cycle paves the way for highly effective therapies. Nat Med. 2013 Jul;19(7):837-49. doi: 10.1038/nm.3248.
• Background Frese M, Schwarzle V, Barth K, Krieger N, Lohmann V, Mihm S, Haller O, Bartenschlager R. Interferon-gamma inhibits replication of subgenomic and genomic hepatitis C virus RNAs. Hepatology. 2002 Mar;35(3):694-703. doi: 10.1053/jhep.2002.31770.
• Background Schmidt J, Blum HE, Thimme R. T-cell responses in hepatitis B and C virus infection: similarities and differences. Emerg Microbes Infect. 2013 Mar;2(3):e15. doi: 10.1038/emi.2013.14. Epub 2013 Mar 27.
• Salama H, Medhat E, Shaheen M, Zekri AN, Darwish T, Ghoneum M. Arabinoxylan rice bran (Biobran) suppresses the viremia level in patients with chronic HCV infection: A randomized trial. Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol. 2016 Dec;29(4):647-653. doi: 10.1177/0394632016674954. Epub 2016 Oct 31.

Drugs

Indications