Hepatocyte growth factor in ascites from patients with cirrhosis.

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) stimulating DNA synthesis of adult rat hepatocytes in primary culture was found in the ascites and plasma from patients with liver cirrhosis, but not in those from patients without cirrhosis. HGF was purified about 400-fold in 10% yield from cirrhotic ascites by ultrafiltration, cation-exchange chromatography on a S-Sepharose column, and affinity chromatography on a heparin-Sepharose CL-6B column. The partially purified factor was a heat- and acid-labile cationic protein with a molecular weight of 100,000-150,000. Its effect was half-maximal at 3.8 micrograms/ml, and was additive with those of insulin and epidermal growth factor. HGF in ascites from patients with cirrhosis had the same properties as HGF purified and characterized from rat platelets. These findings suggest that HGF is secreted into the ascites from the plasma or liver of patients with cirrhosis and may increase in the plasma with the development of hepatic impairment and act in repair of the damaged liver of patients with chronic liver disease.