Abstract: Objective This study was aimed to investigate serum von Willebrand factor (vWF) and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VACM-1) level changes in patients with hepatitis C viral infection. Methods 38 patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) and 38 patients with hepatitis C-induced liver cirrhosis (LC) were enrolled in our hospital between June 2020 and December 2022, and all received sofosbuvir, daclatasvir and ribavirin combination therapy for 12 weeks. Serum HCV RNA loads were detected by RT-PCR, and serum vWF, VACM-1 and interleukin-6 levels were assayed by ELISA. Results The rapid virological response, end treatment of virological response and sustained virological response rates in patient with LC were 81.5%,89.5% and 97.4%, not significantly different as compared to 89.5%, 92.1%and 100.0%in patients with CHC (P>0.05); at the end of antiviral therapy, the white blood cell count and platelet count in patients with LC were(4.7±0.9)×10⁹/L and (139.5±42.1)×10⁹/L, much lower than [(6.8±2.2)×10⁹/L and (275.6±65.3)×10⁹/L, P<0.05], while the FIB-4 and APRI scores were (2.8±1.6) and (0.6±0.3), much higher than [(0.7±0.9) and (0.2±0.1), respectively, P<0.05] in patients with CHC; serum vWF and sVCAM-1 levels in patients with LC were (134.3±44.3)ng/mL and (36.6±14.9)ng/mL, significantly higher than [(103.9±33.0)ng/mL and (18.7±8.9)ng/mL, respectively, P<0.05] in patients with CHC. Conclusion The application of DAAs in treating patients with HCV infection is efficacious, which might improve endothelial function, and needs further study.

Key words: Liver cirrhosis, Hepatitis C, Direct antiviral agents, von Willebrand factor, Soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, Therapy