Abstract
BACKGROUND: Core-fucosylated low-molecular-weight kininogen (LMWK-Fc) levels are significantly elevated in patients with liver fibrosis and cirrhosis. AIM: To assess the value of LMWK-Fc as a diagnostic biomarker for liver fibrosis. METHODS: Our study included 132 healthy people and 132 patients with liver fibrosis. The LMWK-Fc level was measured based on the principle of chemiluminescence. Fibrosis stage and inflammatory activity were assessed by liver biopsy. Comparative analysis between groups and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis were performed. RESULTS: LMWK-Fc had an area under the curve of 0.871, which indicates a good level of performance in distinguishing between patients with and without fibrosis. Furthermore, the LMWK-Fc level had a certain correlation with the liver stiffness value, which reached 0.5789. CONCLUSION: LMWK-Fc could be used as a non-invasive marker of liver fibrosis. Further studies are needed to evaluate the usefulness of this marker.