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

Abstract

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 adhesion molecules (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 inflammatory markers, 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.