BACKGROUND: Bioactive lipid mediator S1P has been suggested to play pathophysiological roles in various fields of clinical science as a circulating paracrine mediator. We previously established a reliable method of measuring plasma S1P concentration, and reported that the one in healthy subjects has a gender difference and a correlation with red blood cell (RBC)-parameters, however, the reports of S1P measurements in the blood in patients with a specific disease have been scarce. Because our previous evidence suggests that S1P is involved in liver pathophysiology, we examined plasma S1P concentration in chronic hepatitis C patients. METHODS: S1P assay was performed using a high-performance liquid chromatography system. RESULTS: Plasma S1P concentrations were reduced in chronic hepatitis C patients compared with in healthy subjects with the same hemoglobin concentration, irrespective of gender. Among the blood parameters, serum hyaluronic acid concentration, a surrogate marker for liver fibrosis, was most closely and inversely correlated with plasma S1P concentration. Furthermore, plasma S1P concentration decreased throughout the progression of carbon tetrachloride-induced liver fibrosis in rats. CONCLUSIONS: Plasma S1P concentration was reduced in chronic hepatitis C patients, and liver fibrosis might be involved, at least in part, in the mechanism responsible for this reduction. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
BACKGROUND: Bioactive lipid mediator S1P has been suggested to play pathophysiological roles in various fields of clinical science as a circulating paracrine mediator. We previously established a reliable method of measuring plasma S1P concentration, and reported that the one in healthy subjects has a gender difference and a correlation with red blood cell (RBC)-parameters, however, the reports of S1P measurements in the blood in patients with a specific disease have been scarce. Because our previous evidence suggests that S1P is involved in liver pathophysiology, we examined plasma S1P concentration in chronic hepatitis Cpatients. METHODS:S1P assay was performed using a high-performance liquid chromatography system. RESULTS: Plasma S1P concentrations were reduced in chronic hepatitis Cpatients compared with in healthy subjects with the same hemoglobin concentration, irrespective of gender. Among the blood parameters, serum hyaluronic acid concentration, a surrogate marker for liver fibrosis, was most closely and inversely correlated with plasma S1P concentration. Furthermore, plasma S1P concentration decreased throughout the progression of carbon tetrachloride-induced liver fibrosis in rats. CONCLUSIONS: Plasma S1P concentration was reduced in chronic hepatitis Cpatients, and liver fibrosis might be involved, at least in part, in the mechanism responsible for this reduction. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.