Scientific publications

Introduction. The contribution of caspase-dependent apoptosis in the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is not fully understood. One possible mechanism of hepatoprotective action of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) is the suppression of apoptosis of hepatocytes, however, the influence of UDCA on apoptosis of other cells in this disease has been studied not enough. The aim of the study - a comparative analysis of differences in the expression rates of the caspase 3, 6, 8 and 9 genes in peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL) between healthy individuals and patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) suffered from - nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and liver cirrhosis (LC) - in the absence of hepatoprotective therapy and after therapy with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA). Methods. Laboratory blood test indices (the activity of ALT, AST, ALP; bilirubin, total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, TG) were determined on the analyzer «Random Access F-15», «BioSystems», Spain). The expression rates of the caspases 3, 6, 8, 9 genes in PBL were estimated by the real-time PCR method. Results. There was shown the significant decrease in caspase genes transcription in PBL in NAFLD (NASH and LC) patients if compared to the control. Indices of liver damage in NAFLD negatively correlated with the expression rates of the caspase genes in PBL. Significant effect ofUDCA in a dose of 10-12 mg/kg during 4-6 weeks in NASH and in a dose of 12-15 mg/kg during 4-12 weeks in LC cases on the transcription level of caspase genes in PBL of NAFLD patients was not found. Conclusion. The decrease in the transcription level of caspase genes in PBL in patients with NAFLD compared with control may indicate to a lack of activation of apoptosis in PBL in this disease. According to the results of our study, UDCA therapy did not affect on the level of the caspase gene transcripts in PBL in NAFLD patients.