2.5. Use of collagen markers in diseases

Collagen propeptides have been widely investigated in different physiological stages and various fibrosing conditions other than pulmonary fibrosis (Risteli & Risteli 1990). In wound healing, PIIINP is elevated in serum (Bentsen et al. 1988) and in situ in the interstitial fluid of a healing wound (Haukipuro et al. 1987). The serum concentrations of PICP (Carey et al. 1985) and PIIINP (Risteli et al. 1988) are significantly elevated in growing infants and children compared to adults. The normal values of serum PICP vary in males and females within 40-200µgL^-1 and 50-170µgL^-1, respectively. Serum PIIINP increases during the last trimester of pregnancy (Risteli et al. 1987).

Serum PIIINP has been widely studied in several hepatic disorders and is elevated in various pathological conditions of the liver (Risteli & Risteli 1990). For instance, serum PIIINP is increased in primary biliary cirrhosis, showing an association with the disease prognosis (Niemelä et al. 1988). Both S-PIIINP and S-PICP are elevated in alcoholic liver disease, and S-PIIINP correlates with the severity of the disease (Niemelä et al. 1990, Niemelä et al. 1992). Serum PIIINP is also elevated during the development of fibrosis in other organs, most markedly in bone marrow fibrosis (Hasselbach et al. 1990). The level of PIIINP in serum is increased in various malignancies, correlating with their clinical extent and behaviour (Zhu et al. 1994).