Hepatocyte growth factor and the degree of liver failure in alcoholic liver cirrhosis patients

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Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a most potent hepatocyte mitogen and could be activated by several steps after liver injury. It can give us a possible answer on questions about mechanisms of liver regeneration in alcoholic liver cirrhosis The aim of this study was to determine clinical significance of HGF measurement and to investigate whether levels correlate with the degree of liver failure in alcoholic cirrhosis (AC) patients. The HGF levels and standard liver function tests were measured in 33 AC patients subdivided in subgroups according to grade of illness, and 41 subjects by using an ELISA method. Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney test were used to compare results between groups, and ROC (receiver operator characteristic) analysis to evaluate dinical accuracy of tests. Correlation between tests was determined by linear and nonlinear regression analysis. The HGF levels were higher in drrhotics than in healthy subjects (median value is 0 78 vs. 0.19 ng/ml, p<0 001). Statistically significant differences were obtained between each subgroup and healthy subjects as well as between subgroups of patients: Child A (0.44 ng/ml), Child B (0.68 ng/ml), Child C (1.02 ng/ml) vs. 0.19 ng/ml in healthy volunteers, (p<0.001). There was found significant correlation between HGF and almost all standard liver function tests. The ROC analysis showed that measuring of HGF had convindngly best efficacy than any other standard liver function test, therefore could be useful in discriminating AC patients from healthy subjects, and in classifying grade of illness.