Serum matrix metalloproteinase-3 (stromelysin-l) concentration in patientswith chronic liver disease

Background/Aims: Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-3 plays an important role i n extracellular matrix degradation, because of its broad substrate specific ity and its activation of other proMMPs. Our aims in the present study were to determine whether the measurement of serum MMP-3 is clinically useful f or assessing ongoing liver fibrolysis in patients with chronic liver diseas e. Methods: We measured the serum MMP-3 concentrations with a sandwich enzyme immunoassay in 58 patients with chronic hepatitis, 22 patients with liver c irrhosis, 45 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and 124 healthy individ uals, The liver MMP-3 content was also measured in autopsied livers, Result s: Among the healthy controls, the serum levels of MMP-3 were about 2-fold higher in the males than in the females, In this study the serum MMP-3 resu lts of mainly the male group mere analyzed because of the large number of m ale subjects, Compared to the control level, the mean serum MMP-3 concentra tion was 55% lower in chronic hepatitis, 53% lower in liver cirrhosis and 4 6% lower in hepatocellular carcinoma, There was no significant difference i n the serum MMP-3 levels among the chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and h epatocellular carcinoma groups. The serum MMP-3 levels were not related to the histological degree of necroinflammation or of liver fibrosis in the pa tients with chronic hepatitis, No significant difference in serum MMP-3 lev els tvas observed among three Child's subgroups in the group of cirrhotic p atients, In the group of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, the serum MMP-3 levels were not related to the severity of liver function, the HCC tu mor size, or the histological differentiation. The serum MMP-3 level was no t correlated with serum markers for connective tissue turnover, i.e. procol lagen type III peptide, 7S fragment of type IV collagen, hyaluronan and tis sue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 in the patients with chronic liver dis ease or hepatocellular carcinoma, Conclusions: The measurement of serum MMP-3 is of little use for assessing fibrolysis in chronically diseased livers.