Research Progress on Serum Porphyrin and Chronic Liver Disease

Abstract

Liver cirrhosis is an important cause of chronic liver cancer. At present, a breakthrough has been achieved in the development of chronic hepatitis C treatment, but there is no effective measure to completely cure chronic hepatitis B. Porphyrins are a class of macromolecular heterocyclic compounds formed by interconnecting the ?-carbon atoms of four pyrrole-like substituents through hypomethyl bonds. Porphyrins and their derivatives widely exist in organelles related to energy transfer in organisms. They are mainly involved in the synthesis of heme in human body. Heme is an iron-containing porphyrin compound, 15–20% of which is synthesized and utilized in the liver. Studies have found that porphyrin metabolism disorder can occur in patients with chronic liver disease. The early stage of viral hepatitis is accompanied by increased production of porphyrins and their compounds, increased levels of peripheral circulating porphyrins, porphyrin cholestasis, and biochemical changes of free porphyrins which precede the histological changes. The accumulation of serum and liver protoporphyrins and the oxidative stress can cause liver and extrahepatic damage. On the one hand, porphyrin metabolism disorder can aggravate chronic liver disease, and even progress to liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. On the other hand, chronic liver disease can also aggravate porphyrin metabolism disorder, recurrent attacks, and damage to liver and extrahepatic tissues and organs.