SERUM MARKERS OF HEPATIC FIBROGENESIS IN CHRONIC HEPATITIS TYPE-C TREATED WITH ALFA-2A INTERFERON

Hepatic fibrogenesis is a dynamic process which characterizes the cour se of chronic hepatitis. It has stimulated interest in the possible ef fect of interferon therapy on liver fibrosis. We have evaluated a pane l of serum markers of fibrogenesis, namely N-terminal procollagen III peptide (PIIINP), C-terminal procollagen I peptide (PICP), laminin and hyaluronate in 35 patients with chronic hepatitis type C, before, dur ing and after interferon treatment. Before treatment, PIIINP was eleva ted in 8.5%, 44% and 71% of patients with chronic persistent hepatitis , chronic active hepatitis and cirrhosis, respectively, while the corr esponding figures for PICP were 0%, 50% and 46%, and for laminin 16.5% , 70% and 71%; hyaluronate was elevated in only five out of seven pati ents with cirrhosis. Patients with high PIIINP levels at presentation and a persistent response to treatment showed persistent normalization of this parameter, which was not observed in non-responders. In contr ast, the other markers showed no significant correlation with interfer on response. These results indicate that PIIINP correlates with interf eron response in chronic hepatitis type C.