Increased Soluble GPVI Levels in Cirrhosis: Evidence for Collagen Induced Platelet Activation In Vivo

Background

Cirrhosis is a consequence of prolonged inflammation arising from chronic liver disease of different aetiologies. It is characterised by tissue fibrosis, the deposition of collagen-rich extracellular matrix tissue within the liver. Glycoprotein VI (GPVI) is platelet-specific collagen receptor that is shed from the platelet surface in a metalloproteinase-dependent manner in response to GPVI ligation. The shed extracellular region of GPVI can be detected in plasma and used as a measure of GPVI-dependent platelet activation in vivo. Several lines of evidence suggest that GPVI-dependent platelet activation occurs in cirrhosis. Platelets have been shown to accumulate at sites of collagen-rich fibrotic tissue. Circulating levels of collagen are increased in cirrhosis. Collagen-induced platelet aggregation responses are reduced in vitro with cirrhosis. Based on these results, we hypothesised that soluble GPVI (sGPVI) levels are increased in patients with cirrhosis. As such, the aim of this study was to quantify sGPVI levels in patients with cirrhosis and compare to healthy controls.

Methods

Compensated cirrhotic patients were recruited at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland. The diagnosis of cirrhosis was based on clinical examination, blood tests, and radiological examination (nodular surface, larger right lobe, coarse echotexture). Exclusion criteria were decompensated cirrhosis, recent thrombotic events, and antiplatelet and/or anticoagulant therapies. Healthy controls were recruited at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Ireland. Blood samples were collected into vacutainers containing 3.2 % sodium citrate as anticoagulant. sGPVI levels in platelet poor plasma were measured using an in house custom ELISA.

Results

57 patients with mixed aetiology cirrhosis and 55 healthy controls were recruited. In the patient group, 42% of patients had alcoholic liver disease (ALD), 30% had hepatitis C (HCV), 7% had non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), 5% had Hepatitis B (HBV), 5% had autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), 5% had cryptogenic liver disease, 4% had hereditary haemochromatosis (HH), and 2% had primary biliary cholangitis (PBC). sGPVI levels were significantly increased in patients with cirrhosis (5.8 ± 0.6 ng/ml, n = 57) compared to healthy controls (3.2 ± 0.4 ng/ml, n = 55, p < 0.0001). There was no significant difference between sGPVI levels in AIH (4 ± 1 ng/ml, n = 3), ALD (5.6 ± 1 ng/ml, n = 24), cryptogenic (12 ± 5 ng/ml, n = 3), HBV (3.1 ± 1 ng/ml, n = 3), HCV (5 ± 0.6 ng/ml), or NAFLD (5.3 ± 1.1 ng/ml, n = 4). sGPVI levels did not correlate with platelet count (r = 0.12, p = 0.3) or parameters of liver cell function (albumin, bilirubin, prothrombin time, and liver stiffness measurements).

Conclusion

sGPVI levels are significantly increased in patients with mixed aetiology cirrhosis. This indicates collagen induced platelet activation is occurring in vivo and suggests the presence of an underlying coagulopathy in patients with cirrhosis.