Human hepatocyte growth factor in bile: an indicator of posthepatectomy liver function in patients with biliary tract...

We measured the concentration of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in bile obtained from patients after hepatectomy. The HGF concentrations in the bile samples were quantified using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). By immunoblotting, using a monoclonal antibody raised against the HGF alpha-subunit, the bile HGF, which was purified on a Heparin-Sepharose column, showed a band of the same size as the recombinant HGF alpha-subunit (69 kd). Bile samples were obtained from 24 patients with biliary tract disease before and after hepatectomy by means of biliary drainage. Before surgery, the bile HGF concentrations were minimal (0.8 +/- 0.1 ng/mL); however, after hepatectomy on postoperative day 1 in patients without posthepatectomy liver failure (20 of 24), they increased severalfold (4.1 +/- 0.4 ng/mL, P < .05). The patients with posthepatectomy liver failure (4 of 24) showed no significant increase in bile HGF after hepatectomy (less than 2 ng/mL on postoperative day 1). The volume of the remnant liver correlated positively with the bile HGF concentration. The bile HGF concentration on postoperative day 1 exhibited a significant negative correlation with the maximum concentration of serum total bilirubin after hepatectomy. The concentration of bile HGF was generally higher than that in serum (2.1-fold). Thus, the bile HGF concentration after hepatectomy may be useful for the early assessment of posthepatectomy liver function.