Serum levels of laminin as a tool of detection for irreversibility of hepatic fibrosis in patients with alcoholic liver disease

Abstract

Serum laminin was measured in 65 patients with various biopsy-proven alcoholic liver diseases by using RIA-laminin P1 kits. The serum levels of laminin were significantly high in all types of alcoholic liver diseases compared to that in healthy controls.
Liver cirrhosis showed significantly high value of serum laminin compared to those of other types of alcoholic liver diseases except alcoholic hepatitis, whereas in alcoholic hepatitis, serum levels of laminin was almost as high as those in liver cirrhosis. Serum levels of laminin as well as type III procollagen amino-peptide revealed significant correlation with the degree of periportal fibrosis while other liver function tests did not. The patients with nodular formation in the liver showed significantly high value of serum laminin compared to those without nodular formation. Among various liver function tests including serum PIIIP, serum laminin could differentiate clearly two groups which were with or without nodular formation. Measurement of serum lamin n may be a useful test for the early detection of irreversibility of hepatic fibrosis in the patients with alcoholic liver diseases.