Lee Swanson Research Update

Grapefruit Naringenin Helps Curb Hepatitis C

May 2008

Naringenin, a compound found in grapefruit and other citrus fruits, may help curb the spread of hepatitis C virus by 80%, according to preliminary lab tests. Hepatitis C is a leading cause of liver disease.

By helping curb the spread of hepatitis C, the treatment might give healthy cells a chance to regenerate and stem the tide of hepatitis C’s spread.

In the recent study published in the journal Hepatology, researchers said: “Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infects over three percent of the world population and is the leading cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. HCV has long been known to associate with circulating lipoproteins, and its interactions with the cholesterol and lipid pathways have been recently described. In this work, we demonstrate that HCV is actively secreted by infected cells through a Golgi-dependent mechanism while bound to very low density lipoprotein (vLDL).”

Since the researchers knew that naringenin counters vLDL cholesterol (a form of “bad” cholesterol), they suspected that HCV may “hitch a ride” on cholesterol. That theory held up in test tube experiments. Naringenin curbed vLDL cholesterol, which made it harder for the HCV to spread. The researchers concluded: “These results suggest a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of HCV infection.”

Hepatology 47(5):1437-1445, 2008

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