Liver immunolocalization and plasma levels of MMP-9 in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and hepatitis C infection.
Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a progressive fibrotic disease. Many issues related to the pathogenesis of this disease remain unresolved. Because of NASH association with the activation of liver fibrogenesis, we examined the plasma levels and liver immunolocalization of matrix metalloprotease-9 (MMP-9), a molecule involved in the remodelling processes of fibrogenesis. In addition, patients with chronic hepatitis C (HCV) were analyzed. Plasma concentrations of MMP-9 were determined by ELISA from peripheral blood and immunohistochemistry of the same protein was carried out in formalin-fixed and paraffin wax-embedded liver specimens. The mean value of circulating concentrations of MMP-9 in healthy controls was 39.7 ng/ml (SD: +/-4.6). In NASH and HCV-infected patients, MMP-9 concentrations were higher: 69.0 ng/ml (SD: +/-14.5) and 61.7 ng/ml (SD: +/-11.0), respectively. In NASH livers, MMP-9 was mainly immunolocalized on neutrophils, whereas in HVC-infected livers it was mainly localized over biliary canaliculi, bile ducts and hepatocyte cytoplasm. The different MMP-9 immunolocalization patterns in the examined diseases suggest the presence of a different pathophysiological involvement of this protease in the fibrogenesis underlying these diseases.
D'Amico
Fabio
F
Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Catania, via Androne 83, Catania, Italy. f.damico@unict.it
Consolo
Maria
M
Amoroso
Alfredo
A
Skarmoutsou
Evangelia
E
Mauceri
Barbara
B
Stivala
Franca
F
Malaponte
Grazia
G
Bertino
Gaetano
G
Neri
Sergio
S
Mazzarino
Maria Clorinda
MC
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001648:Bile Canaliculi / Q000201:enzymology; D001653:Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic / Q000201:enzymology; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000201:enzymology; D004848:Epithelium / Q000201:enzymology; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000097:blood / Q000201:enzymology; D005260:Female; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000097:blood / Q000201:enzymology*; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000201:enzymology; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000201:enzymology*; D008297:Male; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000201:enzymology; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; D055815:Young Adult
D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9