title: Activity of MMP1 and MMP13 and amino acid metabolism in patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Alcoholic liver disease remains one of the most common causes of chronic liver disease worldwide. The aim of this study was to assess the usefulness of metalloproteinases (MMP1 and MMP13) as diagnostic markers of alcoholic liver disease and to determine the changes in free amino acid profile in the patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis treated in various hospitals of the Lublin region were randomly enrolled. The control group consisted of 10 healthy individuals without liver disease, who did not drink alcohol. Additionally, a group of alcoholics (22 persons) without liver cirrhosis was included in the study. The activity of MMP-1 and MMP-13 in blood plasma of patients and controls was measured using the sandwich enzyme immunoassay technique with commercially available quantitative ELISA test kits. Amino acids were determined by automated ion-exchange chromatography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No significant differences were observed in the activity of MMP-1 in alcoholics with or without liver cirrhosis or in controls. Increased serum MMP-13 was found in patients with liver cirrhosis (stage A, B, C) compared to the control group. Patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis (stage A, B, C) demonstrated reduced concentrations of glutamic acid and glutamine compared to the control group. Plasma levels of valine, isoleucine, leucine, and tryptophan were significantly lower in patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis (stage C) than in controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MMP-13 can be useful to confirm the diagnosis of alcoholic liver cirrhosis, but levels of MMP-1 are not significantly increased in patients with liver cirrhosis compared to controls. The serum branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) is markedly reduced in patients with stage C alcoholic liver cirrhosis.
authors: Department of Internal Medicine, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland.
authors: Andrzej
authors: A
authors: Prystupa
authors: Department of Medical Chemistry, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland.
authors: Maria
authors: M
authors: Szpetnar
authors: Department of Medical Chemistry, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland.
authors: Anna
authors: A
authors: Boguszewska-Czubara
authors: Department of Ophthalmology, Poznań City Hospital, Poznań, Poland.
authors: Andrzej
authors: A
authors: Grzybowski
authors: Department of Ethics and Human Philosophy, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland.
authors: Jarosław
authors: J
authors: Sak
authors: Department of Nephrology, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland.
authors: Wojciech
authors: W
authors: Załuska
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008104:Liver Cirrhosis, Alcoholic / Q000097:blood* / Q000201:enzymology*; D008297:Male; D020781:Matrix Metalloproteinase 1 / Q000097:blood*; D053509:Matrix Metalloproteinase 13 / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; C507079:MMP13 protein, human; D053509:Matrix Metalloproteinase 13; C522360:MMP1 protein, human; D020781:Matrix Metalloproteinase 1