title: Significance of chymase-dependent angiotensin II formation in the progression of human liver fibrosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Angiotensin II may contribute to liver fibrogenesis. In addition to angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), chymase, which is expressed by mast cells, is also known to be an angiotensin II-forming enzyme. However, it is unclear which of these two angiotensin II-forming enzymes plays a more important role in liver cirrhosis progression. In the present study, the role of angiotensin II-forming enzymes in the progression of liver cirrhosis was clarified.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 77 patients (16 in F0 stage, 10 in F1 stage, 22 in F2 stage, 12 in F3 stage, and 17 in F4 stage) were classified according to the new Inuyama classification into a non-cirrhosis (F0) group, an early cirrhosis (F1 + F2) group, and a chronic cirrhosis (F3 + F4) group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both chymase and total angiotensin II-forming activities were significantly higher in chronic cirrhosis patients than in the other two groups. However, there was nodifference among the three groups in ACE activity. On immunohistology, the number of chymase- and angiotensin II-positive cells was significantly higher in the chronic cirrhosis group than in the non-cirrhosis and early cirrhosis groups. There were significant correlations between the number of chymase-positive cells and the number of angiotensin II-positive cells, between the number of chymase-positive cells and the degree of fibrosis, and between the number of angiotensin II-positive cells and the degree of fibrosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that chymase-dependent angiotensin II formation may play an important role in hepatic fibrosis of patients with cirrhosis.
authors: Departments of Pharmacology, and General and Gastroenterological Surgery, Osaka Medical College, Takatsuki, Japan.
authors: Koji
authors: K
authors: Komeda
authors: Denan
authors: D
authors: Jin
authors: Shinji
authors: S
authors: Takai
authors: Michihiro
authors: M
authors: Hayashi
authors: Atsushi
authors: A
authors: Takeshita
authors: Yuro
authors: Y
authors: Shibayama
authors: Nobuhiko
authors: N
authors: Tanigawa
authors: Mizuo
authors: M
authors: Miyazaki