| Abstract: | AIM: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common causes of chronic liver disease and its incidence is rising worldwide. Cyclophilin A (CyPA) is a protein, which is secreted under the presence of oxidative stress and hyperglycemia, and it plays role in proinflammatory signal reduction. In this study we investigated serum levels of CyPA in patients with biopsy proven NAFLD and examined their association with clinical and histological phenotypes. METHODS: In this study, we identified serum levels of CyPA in patients with NAFLD (n=52) and healthy controls without evidence of any liver disease (n=44). The levels of CyPA were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and were compared between two study groups. Furthermore, serum levels of CyPA were assessed in relation to the clinical characteristics of the study participants. RESULTS: Serum levels of CyPA were significantly higher in patients with NAFLD (3,8±2,6 µg/ml, P=0.03) compared to healthy controls (2,8±1,8 µg/ml). Moreover, concentrations of CyPA were 2,8±1,8, 3,4±2,3, and 4,2±2,9 µg/ml in control group, non-diabetic and diabetic NAFLD patients, respectively. The difference between the groups was statistically significant (P=0.04). There was significant correlation between the serum concentrations of CyPA and glucose levels (P=0.01), but there was no significant correlation with other clinical and histologic parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that CyPA levels are elevated in patients with NAFLD, especially in patients with diabetes. (Acta gastroenterol. belg., 2017, 80, 3-7). |
