Role of Serum Osteopontin as a Biomarker in the Diagnosis of Alcoholic Liver Disease

Abstract

Introduction: Alcohol consumption is a major cause of liver disease worldwide. The amount of alcohol ingested is the most important risk factor for the development of Alcoholic Liver Disease (ALD). Osteopontin (OPN) is an extracellular matrix protein that is markedly up-regulated in patients with ALD. Aim: To determine the best predictor of ALD among Serum Aspartate Transaminase (AST)/Alanine Transaminase (ALT) ratio, Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP), Gamma Glutamyl Transferase (GGT) and serum OPN. Materials and Methods: Clinically diagnosed cases of ALD (N=60) with alcohol consumption ≥100 gm/day, for more than eight years and age and gender matched healthy controls (N=60) were recruited for the study. Estimation of AST, ALT, ALP and GGT were assayed by standard photometric methods in auto analyser ERBA-XL (EM-200) and plasma OPN was estimated by using commercial kit based on Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was done to establish the best predictor of ALD among the markers. Results: The parameters of the liver function tests such as AST, ALT, ALP were significantly increased in the cases (p<0.001) as compared to controls. In the study, there was a significant increase in the level of OPN and GGT in the patients with ALD (p<0.001) as compared to controls. OPN showed significant positive correlations with AST (r=0.76, p<0.001), ALT (r=0.64, p<0.001), ALP (r=0.68, p<0.001). Upon ROC analysis, OPN had the maximum area (0.998) under curve as compared to GGT and AST/ALT ratio. Conclusion: OPN is a better predictor of ALD as compared to GGT and AST/ALT ratio.