title: Reduced serum chemerin in patients with more severe liver cirrhosis.
abstract: Chemerin is a well-established modulator of immune cell function and its serum levels are induced in inflammatory diseases. Liver cirrhosis is associated with inflammation which is aggravated by portal hypertension. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether chemerin is induced in patients with more severe liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension. Chemerin has been measured by ELISA in the portal venous serum (PVS), systemic venous serum (SVS) and hepatic venous serum (HVS) of 45 patients with liver cirrhosis. Chemerin is higher in HVS compared to PVS in accordance with our recently published finding. SVS, HVS and PVS chemerin decline in patients with more advanced liver injury defined by the CHILD-PUGH score. Hepatic chemerin has been determined in a small cohort and is similarly expressed in normal and cirrhotic liver. MELD score and serum markers of liver and kidney function do not correlate with chemerin. There is a positive correlation of chemerin in all compartments with Quick prothrombin time and of SVS chemerin with systolic blood pressure. PVS chemerin is induced in patients with modest/massive ascites but this does not translate into higher HVS and SVS levels. Chemerin is not associated with variceal size. Reduction of portal pressure by transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt does not affect chemerin levels. These data show that low chemerin in patients with more severe liver cirrhosis is associated with reduced Quick prothrombin time.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine I, Regensburg University Hospital, Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Kristina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Eisinger
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine I, Regensburg University Hospital, Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Sabrina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Krautbauer
authors.affiliation: Department of Visceral Surgery and Medicine, University Inselspital, Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Reiner
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wiest
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics and Juvenile Medicine, Regensburg University Hospital, Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine I, Regensburg University Hospital, Regensburg, Germany. Electronic address: christa.buechler@klinik.uniregensburg.de.
authors.forename: Christa
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Buechler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001201:Ascites / Q000097:blood; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D018925:Chemokines / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006975:Hypertension, Portal / Q000097:blood; D007249:Inflammation / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008099:Liver / Q000098:blood supply / Q000473:pathology; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000097:blood*; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011517:Prothrombin Time; D019707:Receptors, Chemokine / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C102741:CMKLR1 protein, human; D018925:Chemokines; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; C478630:RARRES2 protein, human; D019707:Receptors, Chemokine
keywords: Adipokine; CHILD-PUGH stage; Portal hypertension; Portal vein