Wieckowska A, McCullough AJ, Feldstein AE. Noninvasive diag- ... Aller R, de Luis DA, Izaola O, Sagrado MG, Conde R, Velasco MC, et al. Influence of visfatin ...
pISSN 2287-2728 eISSN 2287-285X
Original Article http://dx.doi.org/10.3350/cmh.2012.18.3.279 Clinical and Molecular Hepatology 2012;18:279-286
Enhanced A-FABP expression in visceral fat: potential contributor to the progression of NASH Min Yong Yoon1*, Jun Mo Sung1*, Chang Seok Song1, Won Young Lee2, Eun Jung Rhee2, Jun Ho Shin3, Chang Hak Yoo3, Seoung Wan Chae4, Ja Yeon Kim5, Wook Jin6, and Yong Kyun Cho1 1
Division of Gastroenterology, 2Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, 3Department of Surgery, Department of Pathology, and 5Department of Medical Research Institute, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul; 6Laboratory of Molecular Disease and Cell Regulation, Lee Gil Ya Cancer and Diabetes Institute, Gachon University of Medicine and Science, Incheon, Korea 4
Background/Aims: Adipose tissue is an active endocrine organ that secretes various metabolically important substances including adipokines, which represent a link between insulin resistance and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The factors responsible for the progression from simple steatosis to steatohepatitis remain elusive, but adipokine imbalance may play a pivotal role. We evaluated the expressions of adipokines such as visfatin, adipocyte-fatty-acid-binding protein (A-FABP), and retinol-binding protein-4 (RBP-4) in serum and tissue. The aim was to discover whether these adipokines are potential predictors of NASH. Methods: Polymerase chain reaction, quantification of mRNA, and Western blots encoding A-FABP, RBP-4, and visfatin were used to study tissue samples from the liver, and visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue. The tissue samples were from biopsy specimens obtained from patients with proven NASH who were undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy due to gallbladder polyps. Results: Patients were classified into two groups: NASH, n =10 and non-NASH, n =20 according to their nonalcoholic fatty liver disease Activity Score. Although serum A-FABP levels did not differ between the two groups, the expressions of A-FABP mRNA and protein in the visceral adipose tissue were significantly higher in NASH group than in non-NASH group (104.34 vs. 97.05, P
