Neumann Stephan, Kaup Franz-Josef, Beardi Baerbel
Institute of Veterinary Medicine, University of Goettingen, Germany.
Can J Vet Res. 2008 Oct;72(5):428-31.
Liver fibrosis is a morphologic alteration that accompanies chronic liver diseases. Apart from analysis of liver biopsy specimens, there has been no means of diagnosing and evaluating the course of liver fibrosis in the dog. Several plasma markers, including transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-beta1), are used to indicate liver fibrosis in humans, but none has been validated for use in dogs. There is a significant correlation between the presence and severity of hepatic fibrosis and the plasma concentration of TGF-beta1 in humans with hepatic fibrosis and cirrhosis. The feasibility of using TGF-beta1 as a marker for hepatic fibrosis in dogs was evaluated by comparing plasma concentrations in 29 healthy dogs and 18 dogs with liver disease. The plasma concentrations of TGF-beta1, were 193 to 598 pg/mL in the healthy dogs, 143 to 475 pg/mL in the 7 dogs with mild hepatic fibrosis or none at all, and 427 to 1289 pg/mL in 11 dogs with moderate to severe hepatic fibrosis. The plasma concentrations of TGF-beta1 in the dogs with moderate to severe fibrosis differed significantly (P < 0.001) from those in the other 2 groups, whereas the concentrations in the dogs with mild or no fibrosis did not differ significantly from those in the healthy dogs (P > 0.05). It was concluded that TGF-beta1 is a potential plasma marker for hepatic fibrosis in dogs.
肝纤维化是一种伴随慢性肝病出现的形态学改变。除了对肝活检标本进行分析外，尚无诊断和评估犬肝纤维化病程的方法。包括转化生长因子β-1（TGF-β1）在内的几种血浆标志物可用于指示人类的肝纤维化，但尚无一种在犬类中得到验证。在患有肝纤维化和肝硬化的人类中，肝纤维化的存在和严重程度与TGF-β1的血浆浓度之间存在显著相关性。通过比较29只健康犬和18只患有肝病的犬的血浆浓度，评估了将TGF-β1用作犬肝纤维化标志物的可行性。健康犬的TGF-β1血浆浓度为193至598 pg/mL，7只轻度肝纤维化或无肝纤维化的犬的浓度为143至475 pg/mL，11只中度至重度肝纤维化的犬的浓度为427至1289 pg/mL。中度至重度纤维化犬的TGF-β1血浆浓度与其他两组犬的浓度差异显著（P < 0.001），而轻度或无纤维化犬的浓度与健康犬的浓度差异不显著（P > 0.05）。得出的结论是，TGF-β1是犬肝纤维化的一种潜在血浆标志物。
