Serum levels of stem cell factor and thrombopoietin are markedly decreased in fulminant hepatic failure patients with a poor prognosis.
OBJECTIVE
Hematopoietic growth factors including stem cell factor (SCF), thrombopoietin (TPO) and granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) have a potential role in inducing bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells to move into the circulation, and the association of these factors with liver regeneration has received a lot of attention recently. The aim of this study was to determine the serum levels of such factors in patients with acute liver injury.


METHODS
The subjects were 25 patients with acute hepatitis (AH) who had a favorable prognosis and 26 patients with fulminant hepatitis (FH), of whom 11 were alive and 15 had died. Sixty-six healthy subjects matched for age and sex served as controls. Serum samples were collected before treatment, and the levels of SCF, TPO and G-CSF were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbant assays.


RESULTS
The levels of SCF and TPO were significantly lower in FH patients than in AH patients and the controls, and were also significantly lower in the FH patients who died, compared to the surviving patients. The G-CSF levels did not differ among them.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that low serum levels of SCF and TPO may be linked to poor prognosis in patients with severe liver injury.
Okumoto
Kazuo
K
Department of Gastroenterology, Faculty of Medicine, Yamagata University, Yamagata City, Yamagata, Japan.
Saito
Takafumi
T
Onodera
Motoyuki
M
Sakamoto
Ayuka
A
Tanaka
Mamiko
M
Hattori
Etsuko
E
Haga
Hiroaki
H
Ito
Jun-Itsu
JI
Sugahara
Kazuhiko
K
Saito
Koji
K
Togashi
Hitoshi
H
Kawata
Sumio
S
D000208:Acute Disease; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006505:Hepatitis / Q000097:blood / Q000401:mortality; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D017114:Liver Failure, Acute / Q000097:blood* / Q000401:mortality; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D019089:Stem Cell Factor / Q000097:blood*; D015996:Survival Rate; D013926:Thrombopoietin / Q000097:blood*
D015415:Biomarkers; D019089:Stem Cell Factor; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor; D013926:Thrombopoietin