Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 (VCAM-1) Expression in Liver Disease

Abstract

Cell adhesion molecules belong to a family called glycoproteins. They are involved in binding with other cells or with the extracellular matrix in the process called cell adhesion. In particular, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) can bind to leucocyte integrin very late antigen-4 (VLA-4) to recruit leucocytes to sites of inflammation. Thus, VCAM-1 stimulates adhesion of lymphocyte and monocytes to the surface of the vascular endothelium. There is evidence that soluble VCAM-1 concentration is increased in patients with liver disease, in comparison to control subjects, and, for this reason, it could be used as a biomarker to early identify liver disease. At this regard, the aim of this chapter will be to examine the role of VCAM-1 expression in liver disease.