Objective: To detect the expressions of serum transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta1) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP-1) in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) in different phases of their liver fibrosis and to investigate the effects of TGFbeta1 and TIMP-1 on the diagnosis of hepatic fibrosis and the relationship between them.
Methods: Serum TGFbeta1 and TIMP-1 were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and serum HA, LN, PIIINP were detected by radioimmunoassay in 40 CHB patients and 12 healthy persons. Liver biopsies were performed on the 40 patients. The relationships between the TGFbeta1 and TIMP-1 and hepatic fibrosis stages, hepatitis grades and the relevance of the five serum makers of the patients were analyzed.
Results: Serum TGFbeta1, TIMP-1 rose in the early stage of liver fibrosis and their sensitivities were higher than that of HA, LN and PIIINP. Serum levels of TGFbeta1 and TIMP-1 increased significantly with the development of fibrosis and had positive correlations with other fibrotic makers such as HA, LN and PIIINP.
Conclusion: TGFbeta1 and TIMP-1 are involved in the course of developing hepatic fibrosis and TIMP-1 may be regulated by TGFbeta1. Both of them can be used as diagnostic markers of early hepatic fibrosis.