Endothelin-3 like immunoreactivity in plasma of patients with cirrhosis of the liver.
A highly specific and sensitive radioimmunoassay (RIA) has been established for determination of endothelin-3 like immunoreactivity in human plasma to investigate its possible role in hemodynamic alterations due to liver disease. Crossreactivity with other endothelin isoforms was always below 4 %, the lower detection limit following extraction on Sep-Pak C18 cartridges was 0.5 pg/ml. The concentration of endothelin-3 (mean +/- SEM) was 4.16 +/- 0.56 pg/ml (n = 13) in plasma of patients with cirrhosis of the liver, three fold higher than in age matched controls (1.35 +/- 0.27 pg/ml, n = 12, p less than 0.01). Plasma immunoreactivity was confirmed to be endothelin-3 related by reverse-phase HPLC. These data could suggest a role of plasma endothelin-3 in circulatory changes, as they occur in cirrhosis of the liver.
Gülberg
V
V
Department of Medicine II, Klinikum Grosshadern, University of Munich, Federal Republic of Germany.
Gerbes
A L
AL
Vollmar
A M
AM
Paumgartner
G
G
D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D016232:Endothelins / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
D016232:Endothelins