| Clinical Significances of Serum Soluble Fas and Soluble Fas Ligand in Chronic Hepatitis B |
| Eun Jung Jun, M.D., Joon-Yeol Han, M.D., and Hee Sik Sun, M.D.1 |
| Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea,
Sun Hee Sik Medical Clinic1, Seoul, Korea |
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| ABSTRACT |
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Background/Aims
Apoptosis via Fas/FasL system is thought to be involved in the development of hepatocyte death in viral hepatitis B. In chronic hepatitis C, sFas/sFasL system was reported to control liver injury induced by Fas/FasL mediated apoptosis. To determine the role of sFas/sFasL system in chronic hepatitis B, we analyzed serum sFas/sFasL in 58 HBV patients and 29 healthy controls. Methods: HBV patients were categorized into two groups; normal ALT (≤40 IU/L) and elevated ALT (>40 IU/ L). Serum sFas/sFasL levels in HBV patients were measured by ELISA and was compared with those in 29 healthy controls. Serum ALT levels, histological activity, and Fas/FasL expression of liver were compared. Results: Chronic hepatitis B patients with elevated ALT had significantly higher serum sFas levels than those in healthy controls (P<0.01). Serum sFasL levels, however, were significantly lower than those in healthy controls (P<0.01). Patients with moderate to marked degree of inflammation and fibrosis had significantly higher serum sFas levels than those in healthy controls (P<0.05). Serum sFasL levels had no correlation with the hepatic histological activity. Serum sFas/sFasL levels also had no significant correlation with the Fas/FasL expression of liver. Conclusions: Serum sFas/sFasL levels play a possible role in the pathogenesis of chronic hepatitis B. These results suggest that serum sFas levels might serve as a marker for estimating the degree of hepatic histological activity. (Korean J Hepatol 2006;12:507-514) |
| KeyWords:
Hepatitis B, chronic; Histological activity; Serum soluble Fas; Serum soluble Fas ligand |
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