Serum levels of endotrophin are associated with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. (3rd April 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hagström, Hannes; Bu, Dawei; Nasr, Patrik; Ekstedt, Mattias; Hegmar, Hannes; Kechagias, Stergios; Zhang, Ningyan; An, Zhiqiang; Stål, Per; Scherer, Philipp E.
• Is Part Of: Scandinavian journal of gastroenterology. Volume 56:Number 4(2021)
• Page Start: 437
• Page End: 442
• Publication Date: 2021-04-03
• Subjects: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease -- metabolic-associated fatty liver disease -- NASH -- fibrosis -- diagnostic test; Gastroenterology -- Periodicals; Digestive organs -- Diseases -- Periodicals; 616.33
• DOI: 10.1080/00365521.2021.1879249
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0036-5521

Abstract

Abstract: Background and aims: There are no currently available biomarkers that can accurately indicate the presence of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). We investigated the association between endotrophin, a cleavage product of collagen type 6α3, and disease severity in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Methods: We measured serum endotrophin levels in 211 patients with NAFLD and nine healthy controls. Liver biopsy data was available for 141 (67%) of the patients. Associations between endotrophin and the presence of NASH and advanced fibrosis were investigated alone and in combination with standard clinical parameters using logistic regression. Results: A total of 211 patients were enrolled in this study, consisting of 108 (51%) men and 103 (49%) women with a mean age of 55.6 years. 58 (27%) of the patients had advanced fibrosis. Of those with biopsy data, 87 (62%) had NASH. Serum levels of endotrophin were significantly higher in patients with NAFLD than those in healthy controls (37[±12] vs. 17[±7] ng/mL, p <.001). Serum levels of endotrophin were also significantly higher in patients with NASH than in those without NASH (40[±12] vs. 32[±13] ng/mL, p <.001). A model using age, sex, body mass index and levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), glucose and endotrophin effectively predicted the presence of NASH in a derivation (AUROC 0.83, 95%CI = 0.74–0.92) and validation cohort (AUROC 0.71, 95%CI = 0.54–0.88). There was no significant association between serum levels of endotrophin and advanced fibrosis. Conclusions: These data suggest that serum endotrophin could be a valuable biomarker for diagnosing NASH, but not for detecting advanced fibrosis in NAFLD.