The evaluation of hyaluronic acid and laminin concentration in serum in children with chronic hepatitis B treated with lamivudine, unresponsive to previous interferon-alpha therapy
Skiba, E.; Lebensztejn, D.M.; Werpachowska, I.; Kaczmarski, M.
Polski Merkuriusz Lekarski Organ Polskiego Towarzystwa Lekarskiego 18(105): 268-270
2005
ISSN/ISBN: 1426-9686 PMID: 15997629 Document Number: 591440
THE AIM OF THE STUDY was to evaluate prospectively serum hyaluronic acid (HA) and laminin (LAM) concentration in children with chronic hepatitis B (chB) during lamivudine treatment. The observation was carried out on 40 children (29 boys and 11 girls), aged 4-17 yrs with biopsy proven chB who were nonresponders to previous IFN alpha therapy. Lamivudine was given in the dose of 3-4mg/kg/day up to 100 mg/day. The concentration of HA and LAM were measured with EIA technique in serum (CORGENIX and TAKARA kits respectively) before and after 12 months of therapy. After 12 months of therapy mean serum concentration of HA and LAM were lower then before treatment (20.3 +/- 13.3 vs 26.1 +/- 18.2 ng/ml, p=0.0112; 430 +/- 93 vs 455 +/- 161 ng/ml, p=NS respectively). The decrease of HA concentration was observed in subgroups of both responders and nonresponders (21.9 +/- 10.9 vs 26.1 +/- 10.6, p=NS; 20.1 +/- 13.7 vs 26.1 +/- 19.0, p=0.01 resp.). The decrease of HA and LAM serum concentration may suggest that lamivudine treatment inhibits liver fibrosis. Further studies with liver morphology evaluation are needed to confirm antifibrotic effect of lamivudine in children with chB.