Azadeh Hasanzadeh1,2, Abdollah Rafiei1,2, Mohammad Kazemi3, Molouk Beiromvand4,5, Amin Bahreini6, Hossein Khanahmad3. 1. Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Health Research Institute, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran. 2. Department of Parasitology, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran. 3. Department of Genetics and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. 4. Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Health Research Institute, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran. beiromvandm@gmail.com. 5. Department of Parasitology, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran. beiromvandm@gmail.com. 6. Department of Surgery, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: The main mechanism underlying hepatic fibrosis is the imbalance between tissue Matrix Metalloproteinases (MMPs) and Tissue Inhibitors of Metalloproteinases (TIMPs). This study aimed to investigate the potential role of TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 in the process of hepatic fibrosis caused by Echinococcus granulosus senso lato (E. granulosus s.l.). METHODS: The expressions levels of TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 mRNAs were evaluated in fibrotic and normal hepatic tissues of 30 patients with Cystic Echinococcus (CE) using qRT-PCR. Moreover, their serum levels of TIMP-1 were assessed before CE cyst removal and 6 months after surgery using ELISA. RESULTS: The qRT-PCR results showed that the expression levels of TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 mRNAs were significantly higher in the fibrotic hepatic tissue compared to the normal liver tissue, in a way that the TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 mRNA expression levels were 19.07 and 6.58 folds higher in the fibrotic tissue compared to the normal liver tissue. Among these TIMPs, TIMP-1 exhibited the higher area under the curve (AUC) value for predicting liver fibrosis. However, we could not find a significant difference in the serum levels of TIMP-1 before and after the cyst removal procedure (p = 0.48). CONCLUSIONS: For the first time, our study showed that the significant overexpression of both TIMP mRNAs in the fibrotic liver tissue of the CE patients may be due to the increased expression of MMPs in the peri-cystic tissue. However, we could not find a significant difference in the pre- and post-operative TIMP-1 levels, which may be due to recurrence or heterogeneity in the cyst type. Therefore, performing further studies with a larger sample size of the CE patients is recommended.
INTRODUCTION: The main mechanism underlying hepatic fibrosis is the imbalance between tissue Matrix Metalloproteinases (MMPs) and Tissue Inhibitors of Metalloproteinases (TIMPs). This study aimed to investigate the potential role of TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 in the process of hepatic fibrosis caused by Echinococcus granulosus senso lato (E. granulosus s.l.). METHODS: The expressions levels of TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 mRNAs were evaluated in fibrotic and normal hepatic tissues of 30 patients with Cystic Echinococcus (CE) using qRT-PCR. Moreover, their serum levels of TIMP-1 were assessed before CE cyst removal and 6 months after surgery using ELISA. RESULTS: The qRT-PCR results showed that the expression levels of TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 mRNAs were significantly higher in the fibrotic hepatic tissue compared to the normal liver tissue, in a way that the TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 mRNA expression levels were 19.07 and 6.58 folds higher in the fibrotic tissue compared to the normal liver tissue. Among these TIMPs, TIMP-1 exhibited the higher area under the curve (AUC) value for predicting liver fibrosis. However, we could not find a significant difference in the serum levels of TIMP-1 before and after the cyst removal procedure (p = 0.48). CONCLUSIONS: For the first time, our study showed that the significant overexpression of both TIMP mRNAs in the fibrotic liver tissue of the CE patients may be due to the increased expression of MMPs in the peri-cystic tissue. However, we could not find a significant difference in the pre- and post-operative TIMP-1 levels, which may be due to recurrence or heterogeneity in the cyst type. Therefore, performing further studies with a larger sample size of the CE patients is recommended.
Authors: Moises Martinez-Castillo; Abigail Hernandez-Barragan; Ivonne Flores-Vasconcelos; Marina Galicia-Moreno; Dorothy Rosique-Oramas; Jose Luis Perez-Hernandez; Fatima Higuera-De la Tijera; Eduardo E Montalvo-Jave; Aldo Torre-Delgadillo; Paula Cordero-Perez; Linda Muñoz-Espinosa; David Kershenobich; Gabriela Gutierrez-Reyes Journal: World J Hepatol Date: 2021-02-27