Exploring the Role of Thy‐1 and Its Soluble Form Regarding Fibrosis Severity in Primary Biliary Cholangitis and Metabolic Dysfunction‐Associated Fatty Liver Disease

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ABSTRACT Background and Aim Portal myofibroblasts (PMF) are known to be critical in bile duct injury, but their role in liver fibrogenesis remains underexplored. Thy‐1, an adhesion molecule detected as soluble Thy‐1 (sThy‐1) in serum, is primarily expressed by portal myofibroblasts (PMF) and, to a lesser extent, hepatic stellate cells (HSC), serving as a marker for myofibroblast activity in liver pathology. This study aimed to elucidate the correlation between Thy‐1 expression in liver histology and sThy‐1 levels in serum with the degree of liver fibrosis in patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and metabolic dysfunction‐associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). Methods Liver histology samples were stained for Thy‐1, and sThy‐1 was measured using an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results In patients with PBC and MASLD, an association between portal Thy‐1 expression and the extent of fibrosis was observed. Notably, while sinusoidal Thy‐1 expression aligned with fibrosis severity in PBC (p < 0.001), this association was not statistically significant in MASLD (p = 0.059). Moreover, variations in soluble Thy‐1 levels paralleled the progression from mild to advanced fibrosis stages in PBC. Conclusions Thy‐1 expression levels were associated with the severity of fibrosis, which could support its role in monitoring the presence and activity of myofibroblasts in liver diseases.

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