PTX3 and Hepatic fibrosis: Although there was a positive correlation of PTX3 with the progression of liver fibrosis stage (rho = 0.64, P < 0.001) in our patients with HCV, the results from an in vivo, ex vivo, and in vitro studies [7, 10] suggest that PTX3 exerts a hepatoprotective and a modulatory effect on chronic inflammatory events, taking into account the fact that PTX3 protein and regulation are conserved between mice and humans [31].