Hepatic structural glycoprotein metabolism in liver cirrhosis and its correlation with different disease parameters

ABSTRACT

This study was conducted on 39 patients diagnosed as liver cirrhosis and 20 age and sex matched controls. Twenty-six patients had clinical and/or sonographic evidence of ascites, but only 22 could be subjected to sampling of their ascites. Serum laminin [LPI] was estimated in all patients and controls, while ascitic fluid LPI was assessed only in 22 samples. Mean value +/- SD of serum LPI in patients [2.36 +/- 0.8] was significantly higher than control group [1.47 +/- 0.25]. Ascitic fluid laminin showed a significant correlation to serum laminin. A ratio of ascitic fluid LPI/serum LPI was calculated with a mean +/- SD of 0.944 +/- 0.45. Mean value of +/- SD of serum LPI in patients with history of gastrointestinal [GI] bleeding [2.69 +/- 1.13] was significantly higher than in patients with no such history [2 +/- 0.92]. Serum LPI was also significantly correlated to the quantitative reduction of hepatic right and left robe spans as measured by ultrasonography. The results suggested that serum LPI values were correlated with the degree of hepatic fibrosis. The study provided a potential new risk factor for GI bleeding from esophageal varices. The study also provided, for the first time, the ratio of ascitic fluid LPI/serum LPI in patients with liver cirrhosis