Serum concentrations of laminin and aminoterminal propeptide of type III procollagen in relation to the portal venous pressure of fibrotic liver diseases.

In sera of patients with fibrotic liver diseases (n = 33) classified histologically into various degrees of liver fibrosis (n = 21) and cirrhosis (n = 12) the concentrations of the basement membrane protein laminin and of its pepsinresistant fragment P1 and of the N-terminal propeptide of type III procollagen were determined. The concentrations of both proteins were related to the portal venous pressure measured in these patients. Compared with the reference population (n = 146) the concentration of laminin increases from 1.04 U/ml (normal persons) to 1.69 +/- 0.46 U/ml in liver fibrotic and 2.58 +/- 0.87 U/ml in liver cirrhotic patients. Although the concentrations of the propeptide of type III procollagen increase also there exist only weak correlations between both connective tissue proteins in serum. Laminin is correlated highly positive with the portal venous pressure in cirrhotic subjects (r = 0.9206), the extent of laminin elevation reflects closely the degree of portal hypertension. Virtually all of the fibrotic patients having a laminin concentration within the reference range had a normal portal venous pressure. The data suggest laminin as a potentially useful parameter for monitoring the portal venous pressure in cirrhotic and severe fibrotic patients.