T. Shiraishi et al., INCREASED RELEASE OF PLATELET-DERIVED GROWTH-FACTOR FROM PLATELETS INCHRONIC LIVER-DISEASE, European journal of clinical chemistry and clinical biochemistry, 32(1), 1994, pp. 5-9
The concentrations of platelet-derived growth factor in serum in 7 hea
lthy controls (61 +/- 9 years; mean +/- SD) and 10 patients (62 +/- 8
years) with chronic liver disease (chronic hepatitis and/or liver cirr
hosis) were compared. The plasma concentration of platelet-derived gro
wth factor was below the detection limit (< 0.45 mu g/l) in all the su
bjects studied. The peripheral blood platelet count in patients with c
hronic liver disease was significantly lower than that in control subj
ects. However, the concentration of platelet-derived growth factor in
serum, which was assumed to be released from platelet, was similar in
patients with chronic liver disease and control subjects. These result
s indicate that the mean amount of platelet-derived growth factor rele
ased from the same number (10(9)) of platelets, calculated from the se
rum platelet-derived growth factor concentration and the peripheral bl
ood platelet count, in patients with chronic liver disease (33 +/- 11
ng/10(9) platelets) was significantly (p < 0.01) higher than that in c
ontrol subjects (14 +/- 5 ng/10(9) platelets). Moreover, the amount of
platelet-derived growth factor released from 10(9) platelets inversel
y correlated with the serum concentration of pseudocholinesterase acti
vity (r = -0.65, p < 0.01), and correlated positively (r = 0.91, p < 0
.01) with the percent retention of indocyanine green in serum, in all
subjects studied. These findings suggest that the amount of platelet-d
erived growth factor releasable from platelets of patients with chroni
c liver disease is higher than that in normal subjects and that it cor
relates with the severity of the disease. Platelet-derived growth fact
or released from platelets may be involved in the pathophysiology of c
hronic liver diseases as a local factor.