HEPATOCYTE GROWTH-FACTOR AND ACUTE-PHASE PROTEINS IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LIVER-DISEASES

Serum hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) levels are increased in patients with liver diseases. HGF has been recently reported to stimulate produ ction of acute phase proteins such as alpha(2)-macroglobulin and album in of hepatocytes in primary culture. To clarify whether serum HGF con centrations have any relation to concentrations of acute phase protein s, we measured serum HGF and acute phase proteins in chronic liver dis eases where the synthesis of many plasma proteins is decreased with th e decline of liver function. Eighty three pateints with chronic liver diseases and 20 normal individuals were examined for serum HGF, albumi n, C-reactive protein (CRP), alpha-fetogrotein (AFP), glycoprotein (al pha(1)-AG) and alpha(2)-macroglobulin (alpha(2)-MG). Mean values for s erum HGF in chronic hepatitis (CH), liver cirrhosis (LC) and hepatocel lular carcinoma (HCC) were 0.37, 0.79 and 0.66 ng/mL, which were signi ficantly higher than those in controls (p < 0.05, p < 0.0001 and p < 0 .0001, respectively). The levels of CRP increased in parallel with the progression of chronic liver diseases. Levels of alpha(2)-MG were not changed in patients with CH or LC, while those in patients with HCC w ere significantly higher than in controls or LC (p < 0.01 and p < 0.05 , respectively). Serum HGF showed a positive correlation with CRP and a negative correlation with albumin. However, no relations between HGF and alpha(2)-MG were observed. These data suggest that serum levels o f acute phase proteins such as albumin and alpha(2)-MG are more closel y associated with the degree of hepatic dysfunction than serum HGF lev els.