• Maria Musumeci, Vincenzo Caruso, Emilia Medulla, Venerando Torrisi, Roberta Migale, Silvia Angeletti, and Salvatore Musumeci.
• Center for Integrated Research, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Microbiology, Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome, 00128 Rome, Italy.
• Dis. Markers. 2014 Jan 1; 2014: 965971.

BackgroundYKL-40 association with human disease has been the object of many years of investigation. β-thalassemia patients are affected by hepatic siderosis, which determines a fibrotic process and tissue remodelling. Chitotriosidase has been found to be increased in thalassemic patients returning to normal in patients submitted to bone marrow transplantation. YKL-40 is associated with macrophage activation in liver and in other tissues. The aim of the study was to analyse the level of serum YKL-40 and plasma chitotriosidase activity of patients with beta-thalassemia to assess whether their expression correlates with liver disease and degree of liver siderosis.MethodsExpression of YKL-40 and chitotriosidase as a marker of inflammation in 69 thalassemic patients were evaluated. We sought to investigate whether these two chitinases could be considered as a significant biomarker to evaluate therapy effectiveness.ResultsSurprisingly we found normal value of YKL-40. We, also, analysed chitotriosidase activity in the same patients that was slightly increased as a consequence of macrophage activation.ConclusionsThese data would suggest a good treatment for these patients.

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