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Serum Collagen Type VI and XIV and Hyaluronic Acid as Early Indicators for Altered Connective Tissue Turnover in Alcoholic Liver Disease

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Abstract

Hepatic fibrosis in alcoholic liver disease often heralds progression to cirrhosis and, therefore, noninvasive parameters are required for early diagnosis and follow-up. Collagens VI and XIV, procollagen-III-N-propeptide, hyaluronic acid, and active transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) were measured in healthy volunteers, patients with alcoholic cirrhosis, and heavy drinkers without cirrhosis. Noncirrhotic alcoholics were assigned to two groups with either normal aspartate aminotransferase or levels ≥2 normal. Collagens VI and XIV were elevated in all alcoholic patients compared to controls (P < 0.0001, all instances). Procollagen-III-N-propeptide and hyaluronic acid levels were higher in alcoholic patients with elevated liver enzymes and in cirrhotics as compared to controls. Procollagen-III-N-propeptide revealed a significant correlation with serum levels of TGF-β1 (P < 0.0001). Collagens VI, and XIV, procollagen-III-N-propeptide, and hyaluronic acid appear to be sensitive markers indicating fibrotic transformation in alcoholics. The correlation between procollagen-III-N-propeptide and TGF-β1 emphasizes its role in hepatic fibrogenesis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. I. Department of Medicine, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany

    Felix Stickel & Detlef Schuppan

  2. Department of Microbiology and Hygiene and Department of Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany

    Renate Urbaschek

  3. Lab. of Alcohol Research, Liver Disease and Nutrition & Dept. of Medicine, Salem Medical Center, Heidelberg, Germany

    Gudrun Poeschl, Ulrich A. Simanowski & Helmut K. Seitz

  4. Department of Gastroenterology, Benjamin Franklin Hospital, Free University of Berlin, Berlin

    Christine Oesterling

  5. Department of Medical Biometry, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany

    Christian Conradt

  6. Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona

    Robert S. McCuskey

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  1. Felix Stickel
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  2. Renate Urbaschek
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  9. Helmut K. Seitz
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Stickel, F., Urbaschek, R., Schuppan, D. et al. Serum Collagen Type VI and XIV and Hyaluronic Acid as Early Indicators for Altered Connective Tissue Turnover in Alcoholic Liver Disease. Dig Dis Sci 46, 2025–2032 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010616021659

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010616021659

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