Background: It has been recently reported that serum paraoxonase (PON1) and arylesterase (ARE) activities may be significantly reduced in patients with chronic liver disease. The aim of the study was to investigate the relations between serum PON1 and ARE activities and the degree of liver damage in patients with chronic liver injury.
Methods: We studied a total of 75 patients with chronic liver disease (50 patients with cirrhosis and 25 patients with chronic hepatitis) and 25 healthy comparison subjects. Baseline and salt-stimulated PON1 and ARE activities were determined in all study participants.
Results: Baseline and stimulated PON1 and ARE activities were significantly lower in patients with chronic liver disease than in controls. Cirrhotic patients in Child-Pugh classes B and C subgroups had significantly reduced PON1 and ARE activities compared with Child-Pugh class A patients (both P-values <0.01). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that serum ARE activity was the most efficient test for identifying the presence and severity of chronic liver injury.
Conclusion: Baseline and stimulated PON1 and ARE activities are reduced in patients with chronic liver disease. Serum ARE activity could be a suitable biomarker for the evaluation of the presence and severity of chronic liver damage.