title: Assessment of liver fibrosis development in chronic hepatitis B patients by serum hyaluronic acid and laminin levels.
abstract: The aim of this work was to determine serum cut-off levels of hyaluronic acid (HA) and laminin (LN) as predicting factors for liver necro-inflammatory injuries, highlighting their diagnostic and therapeutic follow up value in chronic hepatitis B patients. Serum HA and LN were measured in chronic hepatitis B patients (n=35) by ELISA and compared with control group (n=20). Liver histopathologic parameters were evaluated according to the modified Knodell score. The mean serum HA and LN concentrations in patients (108.4 +/- 58.7 and 95.0 +/- 20.1 ng/mL, respectively) were greater than those in controls (46.6 +/- 10.6 and 46.1 +/- 10.2 ng/mL, respectively; P<0.001). Serum levels of HA and LN in all stages and grades of hepatic fibrosis and inflammation were significantly higher than those in the control group of healthy subjects (P<0.05). Cut-off levels of 52.0 ng/mL HA and 64.0 ng/mL LN in serum for discrimination of patients with liver fibrosis from those without liver fibrosis showed acceptable AUC, sensitivity and specificity. After 6 months of treatment, a decrease was observed in serum HA and LN levels; however, the levels were still higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). The correlation of fibrosis stages (not inflammation grades) with serum HA and LN levels was significant (P<0.01). The findings suggested the increase in serum HA and LN concentrations above the predictive values (52.0 ng/mL HA and 64.0 ng/mL LN, respectively) to be associated with liver fibrosis. Therefore, serum HA and LN levels could be determined as an additional clinical tool for evaluation of liver fibrosis, when liver biopsy is impossible to perform.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran. hadiparsian@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Hadi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Parsian
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rahimipour
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nouri
authors.forename: Mohammad Hossein
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Somi
authors.forename: Durdi
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Qujeq
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid / Q000097:blood*; D007797:Laminin / Q000097:blood*; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D007797:Laminin; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid