Effect of pentoxifylline on serum hyaluronic acid in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

ABSTRACT

Liver fibrosis is the excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix proteins that occurs in most types of chronic liver diseases. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease [NAFLD] can be associated with progressive hepatic fibrosis. In this study we evaluated the effect of pentoxifylline [PTX] on serum hyaluronic acid [HA] levels as a marker of fibrosis. In this study we included 30 subjects [14 males and 16 females], divided into three groups. The NAFLD group included 20 patients with fatty livers as shown by ultrasound examination. Patients were randomised into a placebo group of 10 patients who received a placebo, and a pentoxifylline PTX group of 10 patients who received pentoxifylline at 400 mg/day for 6 months. The control group included 10 normal individuals. In the NAFLD group the mean value of the base line serum HA was 133 +/- 150.48, while in the control group it was 33.5 +/- 10.01; the difference between the groups was statistically significant [p < 0.001]. The mean value of the base line serum HA in the PTX treated group was 169.5 +/- 156.19, while after 6 months of treatment it was 59 +/- 44.34, with a statistically significant difference [p = 0.007]. In the placebo treated group the mean value of the base line serum HA was 96.5 +/- 143.004, while after 6 months of treatment it was 59.7 +/- 44.29; this difference was not statistically significant [p = 0.594]. Our showed that, when administered for 6 months, PTX caused a significant decline in HA levels, which may be an index reflecting improvement of hepatic fibrosis. Further investigations should be conducted with a large number of patients to confirm our and correlate this with histological findings: