title: Clinical and prognostic value of serum procollagen levels in chronic alcoholic liver disease.
abstract: Liver fibrogenesis involves the synthesis of collagen fibrils and proteoglycans by various types of liver cells, including Ito cells, transitional cells, myofibroblasts and hepatocytes. Synthesis of collagen fibrils follows a complex metabolic pathway with intermediate products such as type III procollagen (III-PC). Serum levels of III-PC may reflect the activity of the fibrogenetic process. We analysed the relationship between the serum levels of III-PC (N-terminal peptide) and diverse clinical, biochemical and histological parameters of 77 alcoholic patients (27 cirrhotics), comparing them with those of 15 age- and sex-matched controls. A highly significant difference was obtained between controls and patients (P less than 0.0001), but no differences were observed between cirrhotics and non-cirrhotics. Serum III-PC significantly correlated with clinical and biochemical data of liver function derangement (prothrombin activity, serum albumin, bilirubin, gynecomastia, ascites, encephalopathy, edema, splenomegaly); with the duration of ethanol addiction and with MCV. Sixty patients were followed up for a period ranging between 3 and 1056 days (mean = 356 days); 9 of them died. Patients with III-PC levels above 38 ng/ml had a significantly higher mortality (P = 0.006) than those with levels under 38 (log rank test). Thus, serum III-PC may be a useful tool in the clinical evaluation and prognostic assessment of patients with chronic alcoholic liver disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of the Canaries, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: González-Reimers
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Brajin-Rodríguez
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Moreno
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Santolaria-Fernández
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Batista-López
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Alvarez-Argüelles
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Milena
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Hernández
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000097:blood*; D001706:Biopsy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008108:Liver Diseases, Alcoholic / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008297:Male; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000097:blood; D011347:Procollagen / Q000097:blood*; D011379:Prognosis
chemical_list: D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011347:Procollagen; C041876:procollagen Type III-N-terminal peptide