Diagnostic implications of extracellular matrix proteins in chronic hepatitis and hepatic cirrhosis

: Enzyme immunoassay measured concentrations of basic extracellular matrix proteins, collagen type 3 (C-3) and fibronectin, in blood plasm of 119 patients with chronic hepatic diseases. 30, 16, 18, 6 and 49 of them had chronic hepatitis of minimal activity (MiACH), that of moderate activity (MACH), intermediate activity (CHIA), high activity (HACH) and hepatic cirrhosis (HC), respectively. The highest C-3 level occurred in C-stage HC, the lowest--in MiACH. Fibronectin was the highest in HACH, minimal--in C-stage HC. C-3 and fibronectin levels correlated with severity of mesenchymal-inflammatory syndrome in CH and HC; in CHIA, HACH and in B-stage HC--with cytolysis markers. A direct relationship was found between protein-synthetizing function of hepatocytes and fibronectin levels in CHIA, HACH and HC while it was inverse in relation to C-3 amount in HC. Thus, tests for plasm C-3 and finronectin expand potentialities of laboratory diagnosis of the process activity in CH and HC, allow prediction of probability of CH transformation into HC.