The relationship between staging of hepatic fibrosis and the levels of serum biochemistry.
OBJECTIVE
To study the relationship between the degree of hepatic fibrosis and serum fibrosis markers.


METHODS
Liver biopsies were performed in 67 patients with hepatitis. The sections were stained with hematoxylin eosin and immunohistochemical stain. Staging of hepatic fibrosis was made microscopically. The serum levels of hyaluronic acid(HA), type III procollagen(PC-III), laminin(LN), and type IV collagen (IV-C) were measured by radioimmunoassay.


RESULTS
The serum levels of HA, PC-III, LN and IV-C were elevated from S1 to S4 because of the increase of hepatic fibrosis. The serum concentrations of HA, PC-III, LN and IV-C were increased with the progress of disease, with the highest concentration at the stage of cirrhosis.


CONCLUSIONS
The stages of hepatic fibrosis are correlated with the serum levels of HA, PC-III, LN and IV-C, which as markers may play a role in detecting the degree of hepatic fibrosis.
Xu
Guo-Guang
GG
Department of Liver Diseases, Shanghai Infectious Diseases Hospital, Shanghai 200083, China. smidhb@online.sh.cn
Luo
Chen-Yu
CY
Wu
Shan-Ming
SM
Wang
Chun-Li
CL
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D024061:Collagen Type III / Q000097:blood*; D024141:Collagen Type IV / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid / Q000097:blood*; D007797:Laminin / Q000097:blood*; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
D024061:Collagen Type III; D024141:Collagen Type IV; D007797:Laminin; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid; D000410:Alanine Transaminase