Biomarkers for primary biliary cholangitis: current perspectives

Abstract

Elias Kouroumalis,1 Demetrius Samonakis,2 Argyro Voumvouraki3 1Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospital and Medical School, University of Crete, Heraklion, Crete, Greece; 2Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospital of Heraklion, Crete, Greece; 3Department of Medicine, AHEPA University Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece Abstract: Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a chronic progressive cholestatic disease characterized by destruction of small- and medium-sized intrahepatic bile ducts. It is no longer a rare disease, since many new asymptomatic cases are incidentally identified. Liver biopsy is diagnostically critical but not always feasible or practical to be performed. Many potential, noninvasive, markers have been proposed to replace liver biopsy and further provide the assessment of disease severity and ultimate prognosis. In this review, we evaluated serum biomarkers proposed for diagnosis, extent of fibrosis, disease prognosis and attempts for early prediction of treatment response. Older biochemical and immunological markers are presented along with recent reports including the role of microRNAs and promising results based on proteomics and metabolomics. Keywords: primary biliary cholangitis, autoantibodies, microRNAs, proteomics, treatment response

Keywords

• Primary Biliary Cholangitis
• Autoantibodies
• microRNAs
• proteomics
• treatment response