[Serum determination of N-terminal peptide of type III procollagen as a marker of fibrotic activity].

Among the noninvasive methods proposed for the study of collagen metabolism as an of fibrosis and inflammation, the most widely accepted method is quantitation in serum of the N-terminal peptide of type III procollagen (P-III-Ps). We measured this variable in 87 subjects classified into five study groups: 19 controls (C), 18 alcoholics (E), 15 patients diagnosed as liver cirrhosis (CH), 11 chronic liver disease (HC) and 24 pregnant women (EMB). In our environment, the serum level of P-III-P in the healthy population was 9.12-12.8 ng/ml. In 27.77% of the alcoholics studied (5 cases) the mean value exceeded this level, 19.35 +/- 3.05 ng/ml. Forty percent of the cirrhotics (6 cases) presented the highest values, 26.54 +/- 11.45 ng/ml, while 83.33% of the patients with chronic active hepatitis presented a mean value of 18.53 +/- 3.8 ng/ml. Of the 24 pregnant women, 95.83% (23 cases) had higher than normal values, and concentrations roses in the last trimester of gestation with respect to the previous trimesters. Analysis of the correlations of all the biochemical parameters of liver function with P-III-Ps disclosed a relationship between P-III-Ps and alkaline phosphatase in the groups of cirrhotics and chronic persistent hepatitis (p less than 0.05). We conclude that the N-terminal peptide of type III procollagen is a useful marker of active fibrosis.