The aim: to highlight the main points of albumin synthesis, posttranslational modifications and functions in normal conditions and in patients with liver cirrhosis.Key points. Albumin is the most abundant protein in blood plasma. Along with oncotic properties, albumin performs transport, antioxidant, immunomodulatory and endothelioprotective functions. Serum albumin in patient with liver cirrhosis undergoes modifications, leading to functional impairment. Human serum albumin is a compaund of human mercaptalbumin with cysteine residues having a reducing ability, and oxidized human non-mercaptalbumin. The proportion of irreversibly oxidized non-mercaptalbumin-2 with impaired functional activity increases in liver cirrhosis.Conclusion. The conformational structure of the albumin molecule plays an important role in maintaining its non-oncotic functions. Non-oncotic functions depend on albumin conformation. Further investigation of albumin conformation and albumin functions in patients with hepatic insufficiency can serve as an additional criterion for assessing the severity of cirrhosis and predictor of complications may become an additional criterion to new clinical applications and treatment strategies of liver failure.

Introduction. The gradual progression of liver cirrhosis with the development of complications has a negative impact on the life quality of patients with this disease. Modern therapeutic strategies are aimed not only at disease compensating, but much attention is paid to improving the quality of life. No data exists on the effect of serum albumin levels, their structural and functional activity, on the quality of life of patients with cirrhosis. Aim. To evaluate the  relationship between serum albumin concentration, its structural configuration  (DR), functional properties (BE, RTQ, DTE) and life quality in patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis. Materials and methods. The severity of the structural and functional properties of albumin was evaluated in decompensated patients (n = 50) using electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR spectroscopy). Patients’ quality of life was examined using a standardised SF-36 questionnaire.Results. Pathological changes in DR were observed in 100% of patients, a decrease in BE – in 90%, a violation of RTQ – in 82% of cases, a decrease in DTE was recorded in 76% of patients. The correlation between the level of serum albumin and indicators of physical functioning (PF), role functioning due to emotional state (RE) was ρ = 0,294. Structural and functional albumin properties were related to low indicators of the physical component of health (p < 0,05). Conclusions. А decline in serum albumin levels, a violation of its conformation and functional properties has a negative impact on the quality of life of patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis.

Аim: to conduct a comparative analysis of serum albumin's structural and functional properties in decompensated cirrhotic patients by means of spin prob EPR spectroscopy.Materials and methods. The main study group included 70 patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis and ascites. The control group consisted of 12 healthy volunteers, comparable in gender and age, without liver diseases. To assess the structural and functional ability, serum albumin was analyzed by EPR spectroscopy.Results. Albumin levels within reference intervals were found in 37 patients (59.8 %). The native albumin index decrease in cirrhotic patients as the disease progressed with the lowest values in the Child – Pugh C group (p < 0.001). The binding efficiency of albumin decreased in accordance with the severity of cirrhosis with minimal albumin binding capacity in the Child – Pugh C (Me = 25.43 %; n = 30; p < 0.001). The transport activity of RTQ albumin decreased in patients with decompensated cirrhosis, the lowest transport ability was observed in the Child – Pugh C group (Me = 26.09 %). In patients with decompensated disease the detoxification potential was significantly reduced: Child – Pugh B — Me = 44.03 %; Child – Pugh C — Me =17.16 %. Despite the normal values of serum albumin in 72.5% of patients with cirrhosis B and in 26.7% in the cirrhosis C group, only 12.3% in the cirrhosis B group had normal albumin function and in cirrhosis C nо patients had normal albumin function.Conclusion. There were not only serum concentration depletion in cirrhotic patients, but also albumin physiological non-oncotic properties were violated. The severity of these changes increased with the progression of cirrhosis. Our data allow us to raise the question of the need to use the EPR test to determine indications for albumin replacement therapy in patients with cirrhosis and the presence of ascites, even at normal values of its serum concentration.

Introduction. It is often observed that decompensated liver cirrhosis is accompanied by hepatic encephalopathy. The role of violation of the structural and functional properties of albumin in the development of this pathology is currently not defined.Aim. Was to evaluate the effect of albumin replacement therapy on the clinical manifestations of hepatic encephalopathy and the severity of structural and functional changes in serum albumin.Materials and methods. The study included 28 adult patients with decompensated cirrhosis and hepatic encephalopathy divided into two comparable groups. In addition to the standard examination, the properties of the albumin molecule were evaluated using the EPR test. The dynamics of indicators was assessed in the groups of standard treatment and standard treatment + albumin. Mathematical processing was carried out in the StatTech v. 3.1.4 (developer Stattech LLC, Russia).Results and discussion. It was revealed that patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis have serious disturbances in the albumin configuration, which lead to a decrease in its functional activity. The ability to bind, transport and detoxify were impaired in the vast majority of patients. The native conformation of the molecule was abnormal in all patients. Against the background of albumin replacement therapy, these disorders are able to recover to normal values. Along with this, we found that albumin replacement therapy reduced the severity of hepatic encephalopathy to a greater extent than standard treatment.Conclusion. Violation of the structural and functional albumin properties is associated with the progression of hepatic encephalopathy in patients with liver cirrhosis. Transfusions of highly concentrated human albumin lead to the normalization of the molecule properties and the encephalopathy regression.