title: Evaluation of hepatic fibrosis by serum proline and amino-terminal type III procollagen peptide levels in alcoholic patients.
abstract: In patients with alcoholic liver disease, serum proline and amino-terminal type III procollagen peptide levels were evaluated as a marker of hepatic fibrosis. Thirty-one patients with alcoholic liver disease (2 with nonspecific change, 3 with alcoholic hepatitis, 17 with hepatic fibrosis without cirrhosis, and 9 with cirrhosis) and 15 controls were investigated. Hepatic fibrosis was estimated in each liver biopsy specimen by morphometric analysis, and the ratio of fibrotic change to total area (AREA-F) was calculated by morphometric analysis. In patients with hepatic fibrosis, serum proline levels and routine liver function tests were not significantly correlated to AREA-F value, while serum peptide levels showed a significant positive correlation to AREA-F value (r = 0.733, P less than 0.001). These results suggest that the determination of serum amino-terminal type III procollagen peptide level may serve as a good marker for the diagnosis of liver fibrosis in the alcoholic.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008104:Liver Cirrhosis, Alcoholic / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology; D008108:Liver Diseases, Alcoholic / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000097:blood*; D011347:Procollagen / Q000097:blood*; D011392:Proline / Q000097:blood*; D011863:Radioimmunoassay
chemical_list: D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011347:Procollagen; C041876:procollagen Type III-N-terminal peptide; D011392:Proline