Abstract
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) extends from simple steatosis (SS) to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Peripheral serotonin (5-HT) has become as an important regulator of different metabolic pathways. 5-HT has been related to obesity and lipid accumulation in the liver. The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between the 5-HT signaling pathway and the degree of NAFLD, as well as to investigate whether peripheral 5-HT levels are related to the hepatic and jejunal mRNA abundance of serotonin receptors (HTR) in a cohort of women with morbid obesity (MO) and NAFLD. ELISA was used to quantify the serum 5-HT from normal-weight subjects (n = 26) and patients with MO (n = 58). We used RTq-PCR analysis to evaluate the relative expression of HTR in women with MO with normal liver (n = 22), SS (n = 21), and NASH (n = 15). The 5-HT was diminished in women with MO under a hypocaloric diet, regardless of the presence of NAFLD. Additionally, we report a negative correlation of 5-HT levels with metabolic syndrome criteria, suggesting that serotonin may have a protective role in obesity. Additionally, the hepatic expression of HTR2A and HTR2B were decreased in women with MO and NAFLD, but no significant differences in the HTR jejunal expression according to the presence of NAFLD were found.
Highlights
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a current health problem that affects people worldwide, and is a main cause of liver transplantation and hepatocellular carcinoma [1]
We classified the subjects into two groups according to their body mass index (BMI): normal weight (NW) (BMI < 25 kg/m2 ; n = 26)
Biochemical analyses showed that the women with morbid obesity (MO) had significantly higher levels of fasting glucose, insulin, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA2-Insulin resistance (IR)), triglycerides (TG), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) (p < 0.05) than women with NW
Summary
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a current health problem that affects people worldwide, and is a main cause of liver transplantation and hepatocellular carcinoma [1]. NAFLD has become a multisystemic disease, affecting extra hepatic tissues, and is linked to metabolic complications such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and cardiovascular. Recent studies have suggested a possible relationship between NAFLD and depressive disorders [2]. In this sense, treatment for obesity, T2DM, or even anti-depressant drugs in selected NAFLD cases should be useful in treating NAFLD [3]; specific pharmacological treatments for NAFLD have not yet been approved [4,5,6].
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