Clinical Significance of The Lysozyme in Viral Hepatitis

Abstract

Serum lysozyme levels of viral hepatitis patients were studied to clarify the clinical significance since the antiviral effect was reported. Lysozyme levels on the 98 cases of various liver diseases were detected by tubidometric method and the relations between the lysozyme level and the incidence of HBs antigen and HBs antibody were studied. There was no correlation between the lysozyme levels and the incidence of HBs antigen in the serum of acute hepatitis patients, however there was some relation between the lysozyme level and HBs antibody titre in some cases. Lysozyme levels of chronic hepatitis and liver cirrhosis were low in HBs antigen positive patients compared to in HBs antigen negative patients. On the cases of acute hepatitis, chronic hepatitis and liver cirrhosis, the lysozyme levels were increased compared with those of control cases. The degree of degenerated hepatic cells, phagocytes and Kupffer cells in the regions of various liver diseases, was related with the lysozyme levels. However, there was no lysozyme activity in the serum of the fulminant hepatitis. Thus, lysozyme level was closely related with the pathogenesis of viral hepatitis and important for the diagnosis of various liver diseases.