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RESUMEN Introducción: Las porfirias hepáticas agudas son un trastorno genético causado por actividad irregular en la síntesis del grupo hemo. Aunque son de baja incidencia, su presencia puede aumentar el riesgo de muerte y afectar la calidad de vida de los pacientes. Se realizó una búsqueda bibliográfica con un intervalo desde el año 2015 al 2020, sobre porfirias hepáticas agudas. Objetivos: Actualizar sobre las alternativas diagnósticas y terapéuticas para las porfirias hepáticas agudas en adultos. Desarrollo: La exposición a ciertos factores precipitantes como fármacos, infecciones y estrés, conllevan a una crisis aguda de porfiria, que desencadenan síntomas neuroviscerales y requiere hospitalización. Existen teorías aisladas que explican el mecanismo de daño durante el ataque agudo, como la hiperactividad autónoma, inflamación, disfunción endotelial, mitocondrial, lesión renal y neurotoxicidad. Sin embargo, el reconocimiento clínico de estos mecanismos sin un diagnóstico conocido de porfiria es un reto para el personal médico, debido a la presencia de síntomas y signos inespecíficos, lo que retrasa el diagnóstico. Debido a la dependencia de la hemina de por vida, se han optado por nuevas alternativas terapéuticas como la supresión genética y el trasplante hepático. El pronóstico es favorable cuando se realiza el diagnóstico a tiempo. Conclusiones: Las alternativas diagnósticas y terapéuticas para las porfirias hepáticas agudas en adultos han evolucionado hacia el trasplante ortotópico hepático y la terapia génica, la cual se ha convertido en un enfoque terapéutico prometedor y validado para el tratamiento de los pacientes con porfirias hepáticas.
ABSTRACT Introduction: Acute hepatic porphyria is a genetic disorder caused by irregular activity in the synthesis of the heme group. Although they are of low incidence, their presence can increase the risk of death and affect the quality of life of patients. A bibliographic search was carried out with a time interval from 2015 to 2020 on acute hepatic porphyria. Objectives: To update on the diagnostic and therapeutic alternatives for acute hepatic porphyria in adults. Development: Exposure to certain precipitating factors such as drugs, infections, and stress leads to an acute porphyria crisis, which triggers neurovisceral symptoms and requires hospitalization. There are isolated theories that explain the mechanism of damage during the acute attack, such as autonomic hyperactivity, inflammation, endothelial and mitochondrial dysfunction, kidney damage, and neurotoxicity. However, clinical recognition of these mechanisms without a known diagnosis of porphyria is challenging for medical personnel, due to the presence of nonspecific symptoms and signs, delaying diagnosis. Due to the dependence on hemin for life, new therapeutic alternatives such as gene suppression and liver transplantation have been chosen. The prognosis is favorable when the diagnosis is made in time. Conclusion: Diagnostic and therapeutic alternatives for acute hepatic porphyria in adults have evolved towards orthopedic liver transplantation and gene therapy, which has become a promising and validated therapeutic approach for the treatment of patients with hepatic porphyria.
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Griseofulvin(GF) has become the drug of choice as an antifungal agent for patients who suffer from many kinds of fungal infection. In order to clarify hepatic injury by griseofulvin(GF) overload and the effect of UDCA on GF-induced hepatic injury, the authors carried out biochemical, histologic, and ultrastructural studies of liver following treatment with griseofulvin and ursodeoxycholic acid(UDCA) in mice. Urine porphobilinogen excretion in the group treated with GF alone was significantly increased and reached the highest level in the 4th week and declined thereafter. Biochemical studies of the liver function showed no remarkable changes of serum bilirubin levels throughout the experimental period in all groups, except for SGPT and alkaline phosphatase activities which were significantly elevated and reached the highest level in the second week. Then they slightly decreased in GF treated groups(GF alone and GF plus UDCA) in comparison with the control group. Pathologic findings in the group treated with GF alone include focal liver cell necrosis(esp, zone 3), Mallory bodies in hepatocytes(esp, zone 1), Kupffer cell activation, and brown protoporphyrin pigments in the hepatocytes, bile canaliculi and interlobular bile ducts with a marked inflammatory cell infiltration in the portal tracts. Under the polarizing light microscope, bile ductular and canalicular thrombi showed a "Maltese cross" birefringence in mice treated with GF alone. There is no definite finding of fatty change in hepatocyte. Under the microscope, the liver appeared normal with an intact lobular architecture in the GF plus UDCA treated group. Electron microscopically, GF-induced changes include swelling of mitochondria, globular protoporphyrin crystals in the hepatocyte cytoplasm, markedly dilated bile cannaliculi and bile ducts and the formation of a Mallory hyaline bodies in the hepatocytes. There were no noticeable structural changes in the GF plus UDCA-treated group. Therefore the results suggest that GF causes hepatic injury, namely porphyria and cholestasis, and the treatment of UDCA may have cytoprotective and choleretic effects on GF-induced hepatic injuries.