Stimulation of ABCA1 inhibits HCV infection.

<p>(A) Reduction of intracellular HCV RNA levels in cells that over-express ABCA1. Huh7.5 cells were pre-treated with 1 µM GW3965 then infected with HCV. Cells were grown for a further 24 h, total RNA was extracted and intracellular HCV RNA was determined by qRT-PCR. Results are expressed as the percentage of HCV RNA relative to that in cells treated with drug solvent prior to infection. (B) Decrease of HCV RNA levels in the supernatant collected from drug-stimulated cells. Huh7.5 cells were pre-treated with 1 µM GW3965 then infected with HCV. After a further 72 h, HCV-RNA in the culture medium was determined by qRT-PCR. Results are expressed as the percentage of HCV RNA secreted from drug-treated cells compared to solvent-treated cells. (C) Effect of GW3965 treatment on long-term HCV infection. Huh 7.5 cells were pre-treated with 1 µM GW3965, infected with HCV and grown for up to 7 days in the presence of the drug. ABCA1 mRNA was determined by qRT-PCR every 24 h and results are expressed as a fold-increase of ABCA1 mRNA compared to solvent-treated cells (grey bars). HCV RNA in the cell supernatant was measured at the same time points by qRT-PCR (line curves for GW3965 treated [filled triangles] or control [filled squares] cells) and is expressed in International Units (IU).