The Autobio hyaluronic acid (HA) chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA) is intended for the quantitative determination of HA concentration in serum specimens, aiding in the diagnosis, monitoring and prognosis of hepatic fibrosis.
The formation of hepatic fibrosis is resulting from the over produce or deficient degradation, or both, of the extracelular matrix, hence excessive connective tissue builds up in the liver, then fibrosis is in turn formed. Hepatic fibrosis is the common pathological basis for chronic liver disorders. Various chronic liver disorders might gradually progress to hepatic fibrosis.
Various methods exist for the diagnosis of hepatic fibrosis, such as liver biopsy, imaging tests and serologic marker assays. The most reliable means to examine the extent of fibrosis and its activity is still the liver biopsy method. Although it is the Gold standard in hepatic fibrosis diagnosis, liver biopsy has many disadvantages. e.g. it is an invasive test, hence patients are reluctant to take this test and repeated tests are not able to be conducted. It is not possible to monitor the progress of the recovery and effects of the therapy. Fibrosis is characterized by focal inflammation and fibroelastosis, so deviations exist in specimen collection. Consequently, liver biopsy is much limited in clinical practice. Modern medical imaging methods such as type B ultrasound, CT, MRI etc. could observe certain symptoms of hepatic fibrosis. However, these medical imaging methods are yet to be confirmatory and identifiable, not to mention the inability to accurately determine the extent of liver fibrosis. Serological tests are able to identify different stages of liver fibrosis with relative accuracy, which indicates various changes during the development of liver fibrosis. Additionally, the effects of anti-fibrosis therapies could be monitored.
HA is widely distributed in extracellular spaces. It is a thread shaped polymer composed of repeated disaccharide units, with the molecular weight being 10 – 10, 000 kD. HA is mainly synthesized by fiber mother cells in the tissue, enters into the blood stream through the lymph system and is soon eliminated by the liver organ. Liver disorders caused by various pathogens could lead to elevated HA levels in serum, due to decrease in the clearing functions of the liver and increase in the synthesis of fibrosing cells within the liver. During hepatic fibrosis, HA synthesis capability of fibrosing cells is greatly elevated while the HA clearance capability of endothelial cells decreases. These two factors lead to the elevated HA levels during hepatic fibrosis.
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