Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
SAUDI MEDICAL JOURNAL, cilt.46, sa.11, ss.1329-1337, 2025 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
Objectives: To study the different cellular death mechanisms between viral cirrhosis and alcoholic cirrhosis. The research investigated autophagy and apoptosis mechanisms in hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and alcohol-induced cirrhosis. Methods: The research team analyzed biopsy samples fromthe liver which were obtained at Florence Nightingale Hospitals, Istanbul, Turkey. The experimental protocols were performed between February 2021 and February 2023. The study included 19 HBV, 15 HCV, 13 alcohol-related cirrhosis patients and 6 normal liver tissues. Beclin-1, Caspase-3, Bcl-2 and LC3 expressions were evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Results: Staining intensity as well as extent underwent evaluation through H-score methodology. The expression levels of Beclin-1 (control: 0.7 +/- 0.3, HBV: 6.0 +/- 1.4, HCV: 5.1 +/- 1.3, alcohol: 4.8 +/- 1.2), caspase-3 (control: 0.4 +/- 0.2, HBV: 6.0 +/- 1.4, HCV: 5.1 +/- 1.2, alcohol: 5.5 +/- 1.3) and Bcl-2 (control: 0.3 +/- 0.2, HBV: 5.5 +/- 1.2, HCV: 4.8 +/- 1.1, alcohol: 4.6 +/- 1.1) were significantly higher than those of the control group (p<0.001). LC3 expression revealed no between-group differences. A positive association for Beclin-1 with Caspase-3 (r=0.582) alongside negative association for Bcl-2 with Caspase-3 (r=-0.608) was documented. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that both autophagic and apoptotic pathways are active in the pathogenesis of cirrhosis. Similar cell death mechanisms were found to be involved in viral and alcoholic cirrhosis, but these pathways were more prominently activated in viral cirrhosis.