Hyaluronic Acid (HYA)

General Information

Liver fibrosis, leading ultimately to cirrhosis, is a characteristic feature of progressive chronic liver disease. Traditionally, histological examination of the liver tissue was the only method of assessing the extent of liver fibrosis. However, fibrosis is often not uniformly distributed throughout the liver and there is therefore a risk of sampling error. Several biochemical candidates have been proposed as markers of fibrosis, either in isolation or combined in a scoring system. Such markers inlcude collagen metabolites (mainly P3NP) and hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid is a high molecular weight glycosaminoglycan with a structural role in the extracellular matrix. It is synthesised by hepatic stellate cells and cleared by specific uptake by endothelial cells. Increased plasma concentration may be linked to endothelial dysfunction that occurs as fibrosis progresses.