Vol. 8, Issue 3, Part A (2025)

Background: Chronic liver diseases are characterized by progressive deterioration of liver function, leading to fibrosis and cirrhosis through persistent inflammation, hepatocellular injury, and repair. These changes result in nodular regeneration, vascular remodeling, angiogenesis, and extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition. Reelin, an ECM glycoprotein previously implicated in neurological disorders, may also play a role in hepatic fibrogenesis. This study investigates serum reelin levels as a potential biomarker for different stages of hepatic fibrosis.
Aim: To evaluate serum reelin levels in chronic liver disease patients compared to healthy controls, and to assess its correlation with fibrosis stage.
Methods: A case-control study was conducted from February to August 2022, including 84 participants: 56 patients with chronic liver disease and 28 age-matched healthy controls. Patients were categorized by Fibroscan into advanced fibrosis (AF; F3/F4) and non-advanced fibrosis (NAF; F0-F2) groups. Serum AST, ALT, bilirubin, and ALP were measured using an automated chemistry analyzer, while serum reelin was quantified by ELISA.
Results: Median serum reelin was significantly higher in AF patients (14.4 ng/mL, Q1=5.05, Q3=33.29) than in NAF patients (1.32 ng/mL, Q1=0.78, Q3=1.98; p<0.001) and controls (1.34 ng/mL, Q1=1.05, Q3=1.64; P=0.001). Weak correlations were observed between reelin and liver function parameters, except for bilirubin in AF (P=0.024) and ALP in NAF (P=0.0002).
Conclusion: Serum reelin demonstrates high diagnostic potential in distinguishing advanced hepatic fibrosis from non-advanced fibrosis and healthy individuals but shows limited utility in differentiating individual non-advanced stages due to minimal fibrosis progression.