SERUM HEPATOCYTE GROWTH-FACTOR LEVELS IN PRIMARY BILIARY-CIRRHOSIS

Background: Recent studies have shown that serum levels of hepatocyte growth factor, a potent mitogen for hepatocytes, are increased in pati ents with fulminant liver failure and with advanced stages of liver ci rrhosis. Design: Retrospective study. Methods: Serum levels of hepatoc yte growth factor (HGF) were determined in 26 patients with advanced s tages of liver cirrhosis by means of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent as say. In 23 of these patients, liver biopsies were obtained before trea tment with ursodeoxycholic acid and investigated for hepatocyte expres sion of the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and the Ki-67 an tigen by immunocytochemical methods. Results: In 25 of the 26 patients , serum HGF levels did not differ from those of patients with histolog ically normal livers. Levels did not vary between the different stages of primary biliary cirrhosis but increased moderately when re-evalute d after a period of 24+/-4.9 months or 54+/-0.7 months. An abnormally increased serum HGF level was observed in only one patient, who had en d-stage liver cirrhosis before liver transplantation. Both PCNA and Ki -67 antigen labelling indices were significantly higher at all stages of primary biliary cirrhosis than in normal liver, indicating increase d hepatocyte proliferation, but the labelling indices did not correlat e with the HGF concentrations in serum.Conclusion: Serum HGF levels in almost all patients with primary biliary cirrhosis were within normal limits despite increased hepatocyte proliferation. The results suppor t the hypothesis that HGF serum levels may reflect liver dysfunction r ather than active hepatocyte proliferation.