title: Serum concentrations of hyaluronic acid, procollagen type III NH2-terminal peptide, and laminin in patients with chronic congestive heart failure.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the role of serum fibrotic indices including hyaluronic acid (HA), procollagen type III NH2 -terminal peptide (PCIIIP), and laminin (LN) in assessing the severity of myocardial fibrosis in chronic congestive heart failure (CHF).
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum levels of HA, PCIIIP, and LN in 39 patients with CHF [14 with New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class II, 21 with class III, 4 with class IV] and in 46 patients with NYHA functional class I were assessed by radioimmunoassay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The serum concentrations of HA, PCIIIP, and LN were 359.75 +/- 84.59 microg/L, 77.88 +/- 24.67 microg/L, 86.73 +/- 23.90 microg/L in CHF group, and 211.60 +/- 54. 80 microg/L, 64.82 +/- 23.99 microg/L, 82.26 +/- 23.98 microg/L in NYHA functional class I group, respectively. The HA level was significantly higher in CHF patients as compared with NYHA functional class I group (P < 0.05). However, no difference was found in the levels of PCIIIP and LN between CHF group and NYHA functional class I group. The serum HA concentration was negatively correlated with left ventricular ejection fraction (r = - 0.71, P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serum HA level may act as an indicator for myocardial fibrosis.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Geriatrics, the First Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing University of Medical Sciences, Chongqing 400016. harborli@126.com
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Qing-bo
authors.initials: QB
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Liang-ming
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Wei
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D024061:Collagen Type III / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005355:Fibrosis / Q000097:blood; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid / Q000097:blood*; D007797:Laminin / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D024061:Collagen Type III; D007797:Laminin; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid