title: Increased chymase in livers with autoimmune disease: colocalization with fibrosis.
abstract: Chymase, one of the proteases contained in human mast cells, promotes myocardial and renal interstitial fibrosis by converting angiotensin I to II (AII). We previously established a method for measuring chymase in liver tissue and examined the relationship between chymase and fibrosis in chronic hepatitis. In the present study, chymase was determined in liver specimens affected by autoimmune hepatitis (AIH, n=10) or primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC, n=12). To investigate spatial relationships between hepatic fibrosis and human chymase, mast cell distribution in the specimens was determined immunohistochemically using anti-chymase antibody. The mean amounts of chymase in livers with AIH and PBC were 11.56+/-10.64 and 11.67+/-9.96 ng/mg respectively. Hepatic chymase in AIH and PBC was significantly more abundant than in acute hepatitis (AH, 2.72+/-2.23 ng/mg, n=10; p<0.05). When sections from patients with AIH and PBC were immunostained for chymase, immunoreactive mast cells were detected in portal areas and sinusoidal walls, coinciding with zones of fibrosis. Thus chymase appears to be involved in hepatic fibrosis in AIH and PBC.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Internal Medicine, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan. satomura@nms.ac.jp
authors.forename: Katsuaki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Satomura
authors.forename: Mingshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.forename: Shuzi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: Yoshihito
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Takamichi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nagano
authors.forename: Hirokazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Komeichi
authors.forename: Masaru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ohsuga
authors.forename: Yasumi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Katsuta
authors.forename: Takumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aramaki
authors.forename: Yasukazu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Omoto
mesh_terms: D053818:Chymases; D005260:Female; D019693:Hepatitis, Autoimmune / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry*; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000473:pathology*; D008105:Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; D053818:Chymases