Periostin: A promising biomarker and key mediator of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C
Keywords:
biomarker, Chronic hepatitis C, Liver fibrosis, Periostin, direct acting antivirals(DAAs)Abstract
Background and aim: Chronic injury to hepatocytes caused by hepatitis C virus can lead to fibrosis, necessitating continuous monitoring and follow-up assessments. Elevated periostin levels have been observed in various fibrotic diseases, making it a potential candidate for non-invasive assessment. This study aims to determine the role of periostin serum levels as a fibrosis biomarker in chronic hepatitis C patients, in relation to viral load, antivirals and other baseline liver tests.
Methods: A case-control study at the Liver and Gastrointestinal Hospital in Baghdad involved 60 patients with chronic hepatitis C and 25 healthy controls. We measured serum periostin levels using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and analysed the results concerning viral loads, liver enzyme levels, ultrasound findings, and fibro-scan results.
Results: The median interquartile range (IQR) of serum periostin was 35.62 ng/L in treated hepatitis C patients and 27.85 ng/L in non-treated patients, while the control group had a significantly lower median concentration of 13.90 ng/L (P = 0.001). Using a periostin cutoff of 37.30 ng/L, 22 patients (36.7%) had an AST/ALT ratio of ≥1, 20 patients (33.3%), had an APRI score of ≥0.5, and 10 patients (16.7%) showed ultrasound evidence of fibrosis with varying fibroscan results (F1-F4). A strong positive correlation (r = 0.8) was observed between periostin levels and HCV viral load in non-treated patients.
Conclusions: This study suggests that elevated levels of periostin are associated with active HCV infection and show a potential relationship with liver fibrosis.
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