Abstract
Liver fibrosis is a pathological disease in which extracellular matrix proteins, such as collagen, build up in the liver, causing tissue remodeling and the creation of persistent scar tissue. It has been associated to HCV infection, As a result, the objective of this study is to evaluate the levels of sCD163, MMP9, and CK18 as noninvasive biomarkers .
A total of 100 subjects were divided into 4 groups for investigation. Group 1 consisted of healthy control subjects (Control group). Patients with HCV infection were divided into 3 groups based on their fibrosis grade: Group 2 (F0), Group 3 (F1-F2), and Group 4 (F3-F4). The ELISA technique was used to assess the levels of direct serum indicators sCD163, MMP9, CK18, and AFP. A complete blood count, serum ALT, AST, albumin, total bilirubin, and INR were measured. In addition, as indirect biomarkers, the FIB-4 score and the AST/ALT Ratio (AAR) were reported. Results indicated that the levels of sCD163, CK18, and AFP were increased significantly in all HCV infected groups, compared to controls, with the highest levels in the advanced groups. MMP9 was decreased in low grade fibrotic HCV groups, but significantly increased in advanced liver fibrosis group. FIB-4 and AAR showed a significant increase in all HCV patients, compared to control group. From the obtained data, the performance of MMP9 was the most accurate direct blood biomarker for evaluating the advanced fibrosis (Group 4). In addition, CK18 and sCD136 showed promising results.