The level of connective tissue growth factor in sera of patients with hepatitis B virus strongly correlates with stage of hepatic fibrosis.
Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) plays a crucial role in the formation and development of hepatic fibrosis. The aim of this study was to establish a method for CTGF determination in order to investigate the level of CTGF in the sera of patients with hepatitis B virus, and to assess the correlation between CTGF concentration and stage of hepatic fibrosis. A CTGF C-terminal region gene was obtained by RT-PCR of human mesangial kidney cells and inserted into pET-32a((+)) vector. Recombinant protein was obtained by expression and purification of the fused protein. Polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies were prepared to establish a sandwich ELISA method. CTGF levels in 18 healthy serum samples and 83 serum samples from patients with hepatitis B virus were assessed. A simple, sensitive, and noninvasive method of determining CTGF levels was successfully established. CTGF levels in the sera of patients with hepatitis B were significantly increased compared controls (p < 0.001). There was a strong correlation between CTGF concentration and fibrotic stage (r = 0.8906, p < 0.005). No significant association was found between CTGF level and the grade of hepatic inflammation (p > 0.05). The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of CTGF was 0.681 for identification of significant fibrosis, and 0.759 for the diagnosis of middle- and late-stage fibrosis. Accuracy of CTGF assessment was independent of age, renal function, liver function, platelet count, or other biochemical markers of liver fibrosis (all p > 0.05). No significant correlation was found between CTGF and several humoral factors associated with liver fibrosis (all p > 0.05). The levels of CTGF in the sera of patients with hepatitis B were strongly associated with the stages of hepatic fibrosis, and CTGF may become a useful diagnostic aid in assessing hepatic fibrosis.
Guo-Qiu
Wu
W
Center of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University, Nanjing, China. nationball@163.com
Nai-Feng
Liu
L
Xiao-Bo
Van
V
Linxian
Li
L
Chen
Zhang
Z
Lixia
Gou
G
Zhao
Liu
L
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers; D055513:Connective Tissue Growth Factor / Q000097:blood*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011817:Rabbits; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D055815:Young Adult
D015415:Biomarkers; C526317:CCN2 protein, human; D055513:Connective Tissue Growth Factor