Plasma osteopontin levels in patients with fulminant hepatitis

Fulminant hepatitis is characterized by massive or submassive liver necrosis. Massive liver necrosis can be induced by activated macrophages infiltrating into the liver. Osteopontin, an extracellular matrix, is a secretory glycoprotein as well essential for Th1 immune response, contributing to macrophage activation and infiltration. To know the significance of osteopontin in the development of fulminant hepatitis, plasma osteopontin levels were measured in patients with fulminant hepatitis. The levels were significantly greater in patients with fulminant hepatitis than in those with acute or chronic hepatitis as well as healthy adults. Among patients with fulminant hepatitis except one in whom bacterial infection was complicated, plasma osteopontin levels were elevated especially in the patients who developed hepatic encephalopathy of grade II or more within 10 days of the disease onset, a clinical type characteristic of massive liver necrosis. Immunohistochemical examination revealed that osteopontin was stained in macrophages positive for CD68, a marker for macrophages, in necrotic areas of the liver in a patient with fulminant hepatitis. In conclusion, plasma osteopontin levels were elevated in patients with fulminant hepatitis, probably reflecting production of osteopontin in Kupffer cells and hepatic macrophages, which might be involved in the development of massive liver necrosis in fulminant hepatitis.