Pro-inflammatory and atherogenic circulating factors in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease associated to metabolic syndrome

LUCERO, DIEGO; ZAGO, VALERIA; LOPEZ, GRACIELA; GRAFFIGNA, MABEL; FAINBOIM, HUGO; MIKSZTOWICZ, VERONICA; MERONO, TOMAS; BELLI, SUSANA; LEVALLE, OSCAR; WIKINSKI, REGINA; BRITES, FERNANDO; BERG, GABRIELA; SCHREIER , LAURA

CLINICA CHIMICA ACTA

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Año: 2010 vol. 412 p. 143 - 147

0009-8981

Background: It is not elucidated if liver fat deposits associated to metabolic syndrome (MS) aggravate the atherogenic state. We evaluated, in MS patients, if the presence of non-alcoholic hepatic steatosis (HS) determines differences in inflammatory markers and VLDL characteristics. Methods: Seventy-five patients with MS were divided into 2 groups depending on the presence or absence of HS, assessed by ultrasound. Lipid profile, free fatty acids (FFA), VLDL composition, adiponectin, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and soluble adhesionmolecules (sVCAM-1 and sICAM-1) were measured. Results: HS patients presented increased triglycerides levels, HOMA-IR and FFA. Patients with HS showed a reduction in adiponectin (p=0.04) and increase in hs-CRP (p=0.02), independently of insulin-resistance (IR). FFA correlated positively with TNF-α (p=0.04) and inversely with adiponectin (p=0.01). hs-CRP correlated with all inflammatorymarkers, independently of IR: TNF-α (r=0.34, p=0.02), sVCAM-1 (r=0.29 p=0.03), sICAM-1 (r=0.56, p=0.01), adiponectin (r=−0.34, p=0.04). HS patients presented higher VLDL mass and number of particles. Adiponectin correlated with VLDL cholesterol content (r=−0.47, p=0.04), independently of IR. VLDL, once secreted, would suffer from changes, becoming more atherogenic. Conclusions: Simple HS would play an important role increasing cardiovascular risk, independently of IR. hs- CRP may represent a useful biomarker of this condition.