第1巻 2005年10月　第4号

■綜説

肝疾患とキマーゼ
里村　克章¹, 清水　秀治¹, 古明地　弘和¹, 勝田　悌実¹, 大本　安一^2
1日本医科大学内科学第一教室
²大塚製薬（株）薬効開拓研究所

Relationship Between Chymase and Fibrosis in Chronic Liver Diseases
Katsuaki Satomura¹, Shuji Shimizu¹, Hirokazu Komeichi¹, Yasumi Katsuta¹ and Yasukazu Omoto^2
1First Department of Internal Medicine, Nippon Medical School
²Research Institute of Pharmacological & Therapeutical Development, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

Chymase, a protease of human mast cells, promotes myocardial and renal interstitial fibrosis by converting angiotensin I to angiotensin II. We established a method for measuring chymase in liver tissue and examined the relationship between chymase and fibrosis in livers of patients with chronic hepatitis or autoimmune disease. We found that chymase levels were higher in livers from patients with chronic hepatitis and more severe fibrosis and were higher in livers from patients with autoimmune disease than in livers from patients with acute hepatitis.
When sections of livers from patients with chronic hepatitis or autoimmune disease were immunostained for chymase, immunoreactive mast cells were detected in portal areas and sinusoidal walls, coinciding with the zone of fibrosis. Thus, chymase appears to be involved in hepatic fibrosis in chronic liver diseases.

日医大医会誌 2005; 1(4), 168-174

Key words
chymase, mast cell, hepatic fibrosis, chronic hepatitis, liver with autoimmune disease

Correspondence to
Katsuaki Satomure, First Department Internal Medicine, Nippon Medical School, 1-1-5 Sendagi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8603, Japan
E-mail：satomura@nms.ac.jp

受付：2005年6月28日　受理：2005年8月8日