Area Diagnostica di Laboratorio, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario "A. Gemelli" - IRCCS, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.
Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2019 Oct;23(19):8506-8514. doi: 10.26355/eurrev_201910_19164.
A still uncertain association between vitamin D levels and HCV chronic liver diseases has been reported. Increased levels of serum-free light chains (FLCs) and an altered k/λ FLC ratio correlate with Mixed Cryoglobulinemia (MC) vasculitis and/or B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in HCV-positive patients. We aimed to investigate the possible role of vitamin D, vitamin D Binding Protein (DBP), and FLCs levels as a tool for discriminating different stages of HCV- related MC and chronic liver diseases.
Sixty-five untreated patients were retrospectively enrolled and 21 healthy blood donors (HBD) were used as controls. Vitamin D, DBP, FLCs, and cryoglobulins levels were measured. Based on cryoglobulins, patients were divided in three subgroups (without cryoglobulins, type II, and type III).
We didn't find any significant differences in vitamin D and DBP levels between HCV patients' main groups and HBD. Serum FLCs levels were significantly higher in HCV patients than in HBD. FLCs ratio among patients' subgroups did not reveal differences.
Our results confirm the presence of an increased serum level of FLCs in HCV patients and suggest that nor vitamin D and DBP or FLC levels can be considered reliable biomarkers for discriminating different stages of HCV-associated chronic liver diseases and/or HCV-associated extrahepatic manifestation. We confirm that serological FLCs levels are significantly higher in patients than in HBD as a signature of B cell activation in course of HCV infection.
维生素 D 水平与 HCV 慢性肝病之间的关联仍然不确定。血清游离轻链 (FLC) 水平升高和 k/λ FLC 比值改变与 HCV 阳性患者的混合性冷球蛋白血症 (MC) 血管炎和/或 B 细胞非霍奇金淋巴瘤相关。我们旨在研究维生素 D、维生素 D 结合蛋白 (DBP) 和 FLC 水平作为区分 HCV 相关 MC 和慢性肝病不同阶段的工具的可能作用。
回顾性纳入 65 名未经治疗的患者，21 名健康献血者 (HBD) 作为对照。测量维生素 D、DBP、FLC 和冷球蛋白水平。根据冷球蛋白，将患者分为三组 (无冷球蛋白、II 型和 III 型)。
我们未发现 HCV 患者主要组和 HBD 之间维生素 D 和 DBP 水平有任何显著差异。HCV 患者的血清 FLCs 水平明显高于 HBD。患者亚组之间的 FLCs 比值没有差异。
我们的结果证实 HCV 患者存在血清 FLCs 水平升高，提示维生素 D 和 DBP 或 FLC 水平不能作为区分 HCV 相关慢性肝病和/或 HCV 相关肝外表现不同阶段的可靠生物标志物。我们证实，与 HBD 相比，患者的血清 FLCs 水平显著升高，这是 HCV 感染过程中 B 细胞激活的特征。
