[Clinical significances of serum soluble fas and soluble fas ligand in chronic hepatitis B].
OBJECTIVE
Apoptosis via Fas/FasL system is thought to be involved in the development of hepatocyte death in viral hepatitis B. In chronic hepatitis C, sFas/sFasL system was reported to control liver injury induced by Fas/FasL mediated apoptosis. To determine the role of sFas/sFasL system in chronic hepatitis B, we analyzed serum sFas/sFasL in 58 HBV patients and 29 healthy controls.


METHODS
HBV patients were categorized into two groups; normal ALT (< or =40 IU/L) and elevated ALT (>40 IU/L). Serum sFas/sFasL levels in HBV patients were measured by ELISA and was compared with those in 29 healthy controls. Serum ALT levels, histological activity, and Fas/FasL expression of liver were compared.


RESULTS
Chronic hepatitis B patients with elevated ALT had significantly higher serum sFas levels than those in healthy controls (P<0.01). Serum sFasL levels, however, were significantly lower than those in healthy controls (P<0.01). Patients with moderate to marked degree of inflammation and fibrosis had significantly higher serum sFas levels than those in healthy controls (P<0.05). Serum sFasL levels had no correlation with the hepatic histological activity. Serum sFas/sFasL levels also had no significant correlation with the Fas/FasL expression of liver.


CONCLUSIONS
Serum sFas/sFasL levels play a possible role in the pathogenesis of chronic hepatitis B. These results suggest that serum sFas levels might serve as a marker for estimating the degree of hepatic histological activity.
Jun
Eun Jung
EJ
Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.
Han
Joon-Yeol
JY
Sun
Hee Sik
HS
D000328:Adult; D053222:Fas Ligand Protein / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019014:fas Receptor / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood*
D053222:Fas Ligand Protein; D019014:fas Receptor