Introduction: Granulysin is a cytotoxic molecule involved in cellular immune reactions.
Materials and methods: The levels of granulysin mRNA in the peripheral blood and serum granulysin of patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) were determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. The expression of granulysin mRNA and serum protein in PBC was increased compared to the controls.
Results: The expression of granulysin mRNA or serum protein showed close associations, respectively, with natural killer cell population in PBC patients. Serum granulysin was down-regulated by steroid and ursodeoxycholic therapy for PBC according to the improvement of severity of PBC. In addition, the expression of serum granulysin were related to serum total bilirubin and Mayo Clinic risk score. The serum granulysin reflected the cellular immune status of patients with PBC, and the expression correlated with the severity of PBC.
Conclusion: Therefore, there is a clinical benefit to monitoring granulysin as a biomarker of the prognosis of patients with PBC.