Early hepatic stellate cell activation predicts severe hepatitis C recurrence after liver transplantation

Samer Gawrieh, Bettina G. Papouchado, Lawrence J. Burgart, Shogo Kobayashi, Michael R. Charlton, Gregory J. Gores

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

65 Scopus citations

Abstract

Only a subset of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients develop progressive hepatic fibrosis after liver transplantation (LT). Hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation is a pivotal step in hepatic fibrosis and precedes clinically apparent fibrosis. We determined whether early HSC activation, measured in 4-month protocol post-LT biopsies, is predictive of subsequent development of more histologically severe recurrence of HCV. Early (4 month) post-LT HSC activation, as measured by α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) staining, was determined in liver biopsies from recipients with severe (fibrosis score ≥ 2, n = 13) and with mild (fibrosis score of 0, n = 13) recurrence of HCV at one-year post-LT. Immunohistochemical staining for α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) was used to generate HSC activation scores (regional and total). Total HSC activation scores at 4 months were similar in patients with severe and mild HCV recurrence (3.9 ± 2.0 vs. 2.7 ± 2.2, P = 0.2). Regional HSC activation, assessed as parenchymal (zones 1, 2, and 3) or mesenchymal (portal tracts and fibrous septa), was different between the study groups, with higher mesenchymal scores predictive of progression. No patients in the mild recurrence group had detectable mesenchymal α-SMA staining vs. 46% (6/13) of patients with severe recurrence (P < 0.01). Mesenchymal activation of HSC had a specificity and positive predictive value of 100% for development of progressive fibrosis in liver allografts of patients with hepatitis C. In conclusion, early activation of mesenchymal HSCs is a marker for progressive fibrosis in patients with hepatitis C post-LT and may help select patients who would benefit from HCV or HSC-targeted therapy.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1207-1213
Number of pages7
JournalLiver Transplantation
Volume11
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2005

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Surgery
  • Hepatology
  • Transplantation

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Early hepatic stellate cell activation predicts severe hepatitis C recurrence after liver transplantation'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this