Relationship Of Serum Iron And Ferritin With The Indicators For Hepatic Fibrosis

Objective To study the relationship of serum iron and ferritin with the indicators for hepatic fibrosis. Methods To use the method of one second liver biopsy, liver tissue speciments were obtained from 36 patients with benign (14)or malign (22)liver diseases, and routine microscopic examination was performed after haematoxylin—eosin(HE) and Perl's Prussian staining. Atomic absorption spectrum, radioimmunoassay and enzyme—linked immunosorbent assay were respectively employed to examine the serum levels of iron, ferritin, hyaluronic acid, laminin, human procollagen typeⅢ, and collagen typeⅣ. Results The results between patients with benign and malignant liver diseases are significant differences in the serum ferritin levels (P<0.05), but not in serum iron levels (P>0.05 ). It was also noted that the levels of the indicators for hepatic fibrosis in patients with begin and early—stage malignant disease varied significantly from the levels in normal subjects ,but these differences were not observed between normal subjects and patients with end—stage hepatic malignancies. Serum iron and ferritin were found to be associated with serum laminin levels (serum iron: r=0.428, p=0.029;serum ferritin: r=0.465, p=0.018 ), and no irongranules detected in the tissue specimens of hepatocellular carcinoma. Conclusions Most of the patients with hepatocellular carcinoma have elevated serum ferritin levels. The serum levels of iron and ferritin are statistically correlated with serum laminin level. Obvious reduction of iron content is typical of hepatic malignant tissuesin comparison with the benign tissues, and the reduction in the levels of the indicators for hepatic fibrosis might involve the inhibition of collagen synthesis in the tumor tissues from patients with end-stage hepatocellular carcinoma. Most of the cases of alcoholic fatty liver are complicated by liver iron overload, often marked by serum iron and ferrtin levels.