Objective: Substantial evidence indicates that serum sE-cadherin is a pivotal regulator that contributes to the initiation and development of various types of diseases. However, very little is known about the relationship between levels of serum sE-cadherin and HBV-related disorders. The overall goal of the study is to get a better insight into whether or not serum sE-cadherin is involved in HBV-related diseases.
Design and methods: Serum levels of sE-cadherin and IFN-γ, from 113 patients with chronic hepatitis B, 101 patients with HBV-related cirrhosis, 75 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and 125 healthy individuals were measured with commercial available sandwich ELISA kits.
Results: sE-cadherin values were significantly higher in patients compared to healthy control (p<0.0001). The levels of serum sE-cadherin were significantly positively correlated with the serum levels of IFN-γ, alanine transaminase and aspartate aminotransferase in chronic hepatitis B and cirrhosis patients. In hepatocellular carcinoma patients, serum sE-cadherin concentrations were only significantly positively correlated with the serum levels of ALT and AST.
Conclusions: Serum sE-cadherin levels maybe an important indicator of the pathogenesis of progression of HBV-related disorders.
Keywords: Chronic hepatitis B; Cirrhosis; Cytokine; Hepatitis B virus; Hepatocellular carcinoma; sE-cadherin.
Copyright © 2016 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.