Clinical significance of measurement of a novel basement membrane-associated collagen levels in serum
Nakabayashi, H.; Takamatsu, S.; Nakano, H.; Kosaka, M.; Ito, S.
Rinsho Byori. Japanese Journal of Clinical Pathology 43(7): 691-695
1995
ISSN/ISBN: 0047-1860 PMID: 7674541 Document Number: 447961
We measured serum levels of a basement membrane-associated collagen(BMC) by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay using two recently produced monoclonal antibodies (named JK-199 and JK-135) to evaluate that's clinical significance. JK-199 reacted with alpha 1 (IV) chain in triple helical region of type IV collagen and JK-132 is considered to react with an unidentified alpha (IV) related collagen chain. BMC was determined in sera of patients with chronic liver diseases (n = 27), healthy volunteers (n = 30) and in random serum samples of in- or outpatients of our hospital (n = 1125). The degree of fibrosis of the chronic liver diseases was estimated by computed image analysis for the biopsy specimens. BMC levels in sera of healthy volunteers as 0-40ng/ml. Serum BMC levels were significantly higher than that in healthy volunteers in chronic active hepatitis 2A (56.9 +/- 27.9ng/ml; mean +/- SD), 2B (80.9 +/- 39.1ng/ml) and liver cirrhosis (114.5 +/- 26.6ng/ml). Serum BMC levels showed positive correlation with fibrosis area/total area(%) in biopsy specimens of chronic liver diseases (r = 0.678; p < 0.001). Total 149 samples (from 127 patients) of 1125 random serum samples (13.2%) showed increased BMC and 70 of 127 patients with abnormal high BMC (55.1%) had liver diseases. These results suggest that serum BMC increases mainly in patients with liver diseases, especially with progression of chronic liver diseases.