Increased osteopontin and liver stiffness measurement by transient elastography in biliary atresia
Sittisak Honsawek1, Maneerat Chayanupatkul, Voranush Chongsrisawat
1Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University and King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Rama IV Road, Patumwan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand. sittisak.h@chula.ac.th
Insights
Plasma osteopontin and liver stiffness are elevated in children with biliary atresia (BA). Higher osteopontin levels correlate with disease severity and liver fibrosis in BA patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Hepatology
- Biomarker Discovery
Background:
- Biliary atresia (BA) is a severe neonatal liver disease.
- Assessing disease progression in postoperative BA patients remains challenging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate plasma osteopontin levels and liver stiffness in children with postoperative biliary atresia (BA).
- To compare these markers against healthy controls.
- To explore correlations with jaundice status and disease severity.
Main Methods:
- Thirty postoperative BA patients and 10 healthy controls were analyzed.
- Plasma osteopontin measured via ELISA.
- Liver stiffness assessed using transient elastography (FibroScan).
Main Results:
- Elevated plasma osteopontin and liver stiffness in BA children compared to controls.
- Jaundiced BA patients exhibited significantly higher osteopontin and liver stiffness.
- Osteopontin positively correlated with serum total bilirubin and liver stiffness.
Conclusions:
- Plasma osteopontin is a potential biomarker for disease severity in postoperative BA.
- Elevated osteopontin reflects increased hepatic fibrosis in BA patients.
Aim:
To analyze plasma osteopontin levels and liver stiffness using transient elastography in postoperative biliary atresia (BA) children compared with healthy controls.
Methods:
Thirty children with postoperative BA and 10 normal controls were enrolled. The patients were categorized into two groups according to their jaundice status. Plasma levels of osteopontin were determined using commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Liver stiffness was measured by using transient elastography (Fibroscan). Ten validated Fibroscan measurements were performed in each patient and control with the result expressed in kilopascals (kPa).
Results:
Plasma osteopontin was significantly elevated in BA children compared with that of healthy controls (47.0 ± 56.4 ng/mL vs 15.1 ± 15.0 ng/mL, P = 0.01). The liver stiffness measurement was markedly elevated in the patients with BA compared with that of controls (26.9 ± 24.6 kPa vs 3.9 ± 0.7 kPa, P = 0.001). Subgroup analysis showed that the BA patients with jaundice had more pronounced plasma osteopontin levels than those without jaundice (87.1 ± 61.6 ng/mL vs 11.9 ± 6.1 ng/mL, P = 0.001). Furthermore, the mean liver stiffness was significantly greater in the jaundiced BA patients compared with non-jaundiced patients (47.7 ± 21.8 kPa vs 8.7 ± 3.0 kPa, P = 0.001). Additionally, plasma osteopontin was positively related to serum total bilirubin (r = 0.64, P < 0.001). There was also a correlation between plasma osteopontin and liver stiffness values (r = 0.60, P < 0.001).
Conclusion:
High plasma osteopontin positively correlated with degree of hepatic fibrosis and could be used as a biochemical parameter reflecting disease severity in postoperative BA children.
