Korean J Hepatol.  1997 Jun;3(2):170-178.

Serum Phospholipase A2 Activities in Patients with Chronic Liver Disease

• Lee JM
• Kweon YO
• Kim NS

Abstract

BACKGROUND
/PURPOSE: Phospholipase A (PLAq) is an rate-limiting enzyme hydrolyzing arachidonic acid from the sn-2 position of membrane phospholipids. In vitro studies demonstrated that the enzyme could be secreted into extracellular mileu by pro-inflammatory cytokines and endotoxin which were reported to have important roles in chronic liver diseases. This study was performed to know whether the enzyme is involved in the pathophysiology of the diseases.
METHODS
The subjects were composed of 24 patients with chronic hepatitis B, 26 patients with liver cirrhosis and 14 healthy individuals. The PLAp activities wem measured in the sera of the subjects by detecting radioactivity of "C-fatty acid hydrolyzed from "C-labeled phosphotadylethanolamine by the enzyme.
RESULTS
The activities of PLA were increased in the patients with chronic liver diseases, especially in the chronic hepatitis B patients with acute exacerbation and in the decompensated cirrhosis patients. Furthermore, their activities were closely related with the levels of transaminase in hepatitis group and with the levels of serum albumin in cirrhosis group, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that extracellular PLA might be involved in the exacerbution and progression of the chronic liver diseases.

Keyword

Phospholipase A2; Chronic liver disease; Endotoxin; Cytokines170

MeSH Terms

Arachidonic Acid
Cytokines
Fibrosis
Hepatitis
Hepatitis B, Chronic
Humans
Liver Cirrhosis
Liver Diseases*
Liver*
Membranes
Phospholipases A2*
Phospholipases*
Phospholipids
Radioactivity
Serum Albumin
Arachidonic Acid
Cytokines
Phospholipases
Phospholipases A2
Phospholipids
Serum Albumin