Clinical Significance of the Correlation of Serum Procollagen I and III Propeptide Concentrations in Chronic Liver Diseases

Park, Dong Il; Lee, Soong Hwan; Paik, In Kyu; Cho, Yong Hyeon; Cho, Yun Hu; Kim, Byoung Hun; Lee, Dong Hoo

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Most liver diseases lead to a pathobiochemical reaction termed liver fibrosis. Hepatic fibrosis is not a uniform phenomenon and it comprises increased deposition of the liver connective tissue components(collagen, noncollagenous glycoprotein, proteoglycan) in the intercellular space, leading to disturbances of intrahepatic blood flow and hindrance of exchange processes between blood and cells, Fibrosis can be determined by morphological examination o f the liver, but this approach cannot be used to assess accurately the activity of collagen synthesis at any given point in time, Thus, the development of biochemical markers of hepatic fihrosis might allow a promising diagnostic approach for the identification and quantitation of this process, Aminoterminal procollagen III pn) peptide(PIIINP) and carboxytermina1 procollagen I propeptide(PICP) are known as the most widely used parameter for evaluating liver fibrosis, but it is diAicult to find previous report discribing the correlation ot each other. To elucidate the clinical significance of the corretation of PICP(x) and PIIINP(y) concentrations in patients with chronic liver diseases, radioimmunoassay was employed in this investigation.
METHODS
Sera tested were obtained from pathologically proven 43 patients;4 cases of fatly liver, 11 cases of chronic persistent hepatitis, 13 cases of chronic active hepatitis, l5 cases of liver cirrhosis. All the patients except 4 cases ot fatty liver were shown positivity of HBsAg. PICP and PIIlNP radioimmunoassay kits(Farrnos Diagnostica, Oulunsalo, Finland) wcre purchased for this study.
RESULTS
In the patients among the three groups of chronic active hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, chmnic persistent hepatitis, the correlations were significant in orders(y= - 10.27 +0.l3938x, r=0.92286, p=0.000007;y=-1.185+0.06611x, r=0.73656, p=0.001737;y=1.1174+0.03273x, r=0.56879, p=0.067849). Four cases of fatty liver reveal no signiticant correlation (y=4,8671- 0,0079x, r= 0.1959, p=0.804054).
CONCLUSION
0n the basis of these data, we s st that the correlation of each showed a significant increase with heightening degree of inflammation, activity of diseases and fibrosis.