title: Alcoholic cirrhosis and cobalamin metabolism.
abstract: The cobalamin status of 27 patients suffering from alcoholic cirrhosis and 20 control subjects was analyzed. Plasma cobalamin (p < 0.005), total corrinoids (p < 0.005) and their analogs (p < 0.05) were all significantly elevated in the cirrhosis patients. These differences were due to increased haptocorrin (HC)-bound corrinoid (p < 0.02), which could be explained by a deficient hepatic clearance of cobalamin bound to HC. The increase in the concentration of true cobalamin was greater than that of its analogs. There were positive correlations between cholestasis (serum alkaline phosphatase) and plasma analog concentrations (p < 0.05), HC-bound cobalamin (p < 0.005) and total corrinoids bound to HC (p < 0.005). The plasma concentrations of the indicators of cobalamin deficiency, homocysteine (p < 0.05) and methylmalonic acid (p < 0.001), were increased, which could indicate poor cellular penetration of vitamin B12 or a defect in the activation of the two vitamin-B12-dependent enzymes.
authors.affiliation: INSERM U 308, School of Medicine, Vandoeuvre, France.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lambert
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Benhayoun
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Adjalla
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Gélot
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Renkes
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gérard
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Felden
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Belleville
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gaucher
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Guéant
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Nicolas
mesh_terms: D013766:5-Methyltetrahydrofolate-Homocysteine S-Methyltransferase / Q000097:blood; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008104:Liver Cirrhosis, Alcoholic / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008764:Methylmalonic Acid / Q000097:blood; D008875:Middle Aged; D014155:Transcobalamins / Q000378:metabolism*; D014805:Vitamin B 12 / Q000097:blood*; D014806:Vitamin B 12 Deficiency / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D014155:Transcobalamins; D006710:Homocysteine; D008764:Methylmalonic Acid; D013766:5-Methyltetrahydrofolate-Homocysteine S-Methyltransferase; D014805:Vitamin B 12