Relationship Between Autoantibodies to Oxidized Low-density Lipoprotein and Hepatic Steatosis in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C

Abstract

Purpose: Hepatic steatosis is closely associated with host-mediated factors, including obesity and insulin resistance, in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CH-C). However, the contribution of autoimmune response to hepatic steatosis remains uncertain in patients with CH-C. The main purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between hepatic steatosis and emergence of autoantibodies to oxidized low-density lipoprotein (anti-ox-LDL) in patients with CH-C. Methods: Forty-two patients with CH-C were enrolled in this study. Anti-ox-LDL were measured using the commercially available ELISA kit. Severity of hepatic steatosis was evaluated as follows: grade 0, no steatosis; grade 1, less than 33% of hepatocytes with steatosis; grade 2, 33% to 66% of hepatocytes affected. Clinical parameters including serum ALT, immunoglobulin G (IgG), Total choresterol (T-Cho), and triglyceride (TG) levels, HCV genotypes, loads of HCV-RNA, and the prevalence of concurrent type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) were also investigated in the enrolled patients. Results: Twenty-two of 42 (52%) patients with CH-C had no hepatic steatosis (grade 0), while 12 (29%) and 8(19%) had grade 1 and grade 2 hepatic steatosis, respectively. Overall serum IgG level in CH-C patients with grade 2 steatosis was significantly higher than that in CH-C patients with grade 0 steatosis (1999±340 vs. 1465±196 mg/dl, p=0.0004). Mean titer of anti-ox-LDL in CH-C patients with grade 2 steatosis was also higher than that in CH-C patients with grade 0 steatosis (754±479 vs. 361±274mU/ml, p=0.0165). Linear regression analysis exhibited significant correlation between titers of anti-ox-LDL and serum IgG levels (r=0.390, p=0.0107). However, there were no close correlations between titers of anti-ox-LDL and serum ALT, T-Cho or TG levels in the enrolled patients. There was no significant difference in titers of anti-ox-LDL between CH-C patients with type 2 DM and those without type 2 DM. Titers of this autoantibody were independent of HCV genotypes and loads of HCV-RNA. Conclusion: These findings described above suggest that an autoimmune response to ox-LDL seems to be involved during the process of hepatic steatosis in patients with.