AIM: To determine intestinal permeability,the serum tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α level and urine nitric oxide (NO) metabolites are altered in liver cirrhosis (LC)with or without ascites.METHODS: Fifty-three patients with LC and 26 healthy control subjects were enrolled in the study.The intestinal permeability value is expressed as the percentage of polyethylene glycol (PEG) 400 and 3350 retrieval in 8-h urine samples as determined by high performance liquid chromatography.Serum TNF-α concentrations and urine NO metabolites were determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Greiss reaction method,respectively.RESULTS: The intestinal permeability index was significantly higher in patients with LC with ascites than in healthy control subjects or patients with LC without ascites (0.88±0.12 vs 0.52±0.05 or 0.53±0.03,P＜0.05) and correlated with urine nitrite excretion (r = 0.98).Interestingly,the serum TNF-α concentration was significantly higher in LC without ascites than in control subjects or in LC with ascites (198.9±55.8 pg/mL vs 40.9 ±12.3 pg/mL or 32.1 ± 13.3 pg/mL,P＜0.05).Urine nitrite excretion was significantly higher in LC with ascites than in the control subjects or in LC without ascites (1170.9±28.7 μmol/L vs 903.1 ±55.1 μmol/L or 956.7±47.7 μmol/L,P＜0.05).CONCLUSION: Increased intestinal macromolecular permeability and NO is probably of importance in the pathophysiology and progression of LC with ascites,but the serum TNF-α concentration was not related to LC with ascites.