Serum autotaxin is a parameter for the severity of liver cirrhosis and overall survival in patients with liver cirrhosis : a prospective cohort study

  • Background: Autotaxin (ATX) and its product lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) are considered to be involved in the development of liver fibrosis and elevated levels of serum ATX have been found in patients with hepatitis C virus associated liver fibrosis. However, the clinical role of systemic ATX in the stages of liver cirrhosis was unknown. Here we investigated the relation of ATX serum levels and severity of cirrhosis as well as prognosis of cirrhotic patients. Methods: Patients with liver cirrhosis were prospectively enrolled and followed until death, liver transplantation or last contact. Blood samples drawn at the day of inclusion in the study were assessed for ATX content by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. ATX levels were correlated with the stage as well as complications of cirrhosis. The prognostic value of ATX was investigated by uni- and multivariate Cox regression analyses. LPA concentration was determined by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Results: 270 patients were enrolled. Subjects with liver cirrhosis showed elevated serum levels of ATX as compared to healthy subjects (0.814±0.42 mg/l vs. 0.258±0.40 mg/l, P<0.001). Serum ATX levels correlated with the Child-Pugh stage and the MELD (model of end stage liver disease) score and LPA levels (r = 0.493, P = 0.027). Patients with hepatic encephalopathy (P = 0.006), esophageal varices (P = 0.002) and portal hypertensive gastropathy (P = 0.008) had higher ATX levels than patients without these complications. Low ATX levels were a parameter independently associated with longer overall survival (hazard ratio 0.575, 95% confidence interval 0.365–0.905, P = 0.017). Conclusion: Serum ATX is an indicator for the severity of liver disease and the prognosis of cirrhotic patients.

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Author:Thomas PleliORCiD, Daniel MartinORCiD, Bernd KronenbergerORCiDGND, Friederike Brunner, Verena KöberleGND, Georgios Grammatikos, Harald FarnikGND, Yolanda Martinez, Fabian FinkelmeierORCiDGND, Sandra Labocha, Nerea Ferreirós BouzasORCiDGND, Stefan ZeuzemORCiDGND, Albrecht PiiperORCiD, Oliver WaidmannORCiDGND
URN:urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-347290
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0103532
ISSN:1932-6203
Parent Title (English):PLoS One
Publisher:PLoS
Place of publication:Lawrence, Kan.
Document Type:Article
Language:English
Date of Publication (online):2014/07/25
Date of first Publication:2014/07/25
Publishing Institution:Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg
Release Date:2014/07/29
Volume:9
Issue:(7):e103532
Page Number:9
Note:
Copyright: © 2014 Pleli et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
HeBIS-PPN:36601451X
Institutes:Medizin / Medizin
Fachübergreifende Einrichtungen / Zentrum für Arzneimittelforschung, Entwicklung und Sicherheit
Dewey Decimal Classification:6 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften / 61 Medizin und Gesundheit / 610 Medizin und Gesundheit
Sammlungen:Universitätspublikationen
Licence (German):License LogoCreative Commons - Namensnennung 4.0