Abstract

BIOCHEMICAL STUDIES ON UROKINASE PLASMINOGEN ACTIVATOR (UPA) AS FIBROTIC MARKER IN HEPATITIS C PATIENTS

Faten Zahran Mohamed, Ibrahim El-Sayed M. El-Deen and *Dina Mohamed Mohamed Ismail

Abstract

Introduction: Biopsy is standard procedure in the evaluation of liver diseases, but it is an invasive method subject to sampling error. Aim: Non-invasive methods for the assessment of liver fibrosis are clinically important where hepatitis C virus (HCV) is common in Egypt. Our aim was to Validate and compare the performance of upA as simple blood marker of liver fibrosis in HCV patients in addition to GSH and NO. Patients and methods: A total of 75 Egyptian patients with clinically and laboratory confirmed hepatitis C patients (HCV) and liver fibrosis were included in the present study. They were recruited from the Internal Medicine Department, EL Ahrar Hospital, Zagazig, Egypt that approved the present study. Result: NO values were significantly increased gradually according to the progression of fibrosis degree (F1, F2, F3, and F4). While, there was no significant difference between F3 and F4 stages. Also, GST activity was extremely significant elevated gradually with the degree of liver fibrosis till F4. Meanwhile, GST activity was reduced in F4 compared to other fibrotic degrees. On a hand, uPA levels were significantly increased in F1, F2, F3 and F4 compared to healthy control individuals (F0). Conclusion: using of Urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) a simple and non-invasive biochemical marker in addition to glutathione s-transferase and nitric oxide for the assessment of different stages of hepatic fibrosis as alternatives to liver biopsy which is invasive, expensive, painful and in some settings impossible to do in patients with chronic HCV infection.

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