Research Article Details
Article ID: | A34512 |
PMID: | 23275357 |
Source: | Diabetes Care |
Title: | The association between hepatic fat content and liver injury in obese children and adolescents: effects of ethnicity, insulin resistance, and common gene variants. |
Abstract: | OBJECTIVE: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) are highly prevalent in obese youth. Herein, we aimed to study the association between hepatic fat accumulation as assessed by magnetic resonance imaging and circulating levels of cytokeratin-18 (CK-18) fragments, a robust NASH biomarker, and to explore the impact on this association of ethnicity, insulin resistance, and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with steatosis (rs738409 in the PNPLA3, rs1260326 in the GCKR) or NASH severity (rs2645424 in the FDFT1). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Two-hundred twenty-nine obese youths (87 Caucasians, 61 African Americans, and 81 Hispanics; mean age, 12.8 ± 2.9 years; mean BMI, 31.4 ± 7.4) underwent magnetic resonance imaging, oral glucose tolerance test, and CK-18 levels measurement; 12 subjects underwent liver biopsy. RESULTS: African Americans showed lower CK-18 levels than Hispanics (P < 0.001) and Caucasians (P = 0.004). Hepatic fat content (HFF%) and whole body insulin sensitivity index (WBISI) modulated CK-18 levels in Caucasians and Hispanics (P = 0.02 and P = 0.011), but not in African Americans; in fact, CK-18 was associated with HFF% and WBISI in Caucasians (P = 0.0018 and P < 0.0001) and Hispanics (P < 0.0001 and P = 0.02), but not in African Americans (both P = 0.5). The PNPLA3 SNP showed association in Caucasians (P = 0.02) and Hispanics (P = 0.05), and FDFT1 SNP showed an association in Caucasians (P = 0.05) and Hispanics (P = 0.02), with the same trend in African Americans (P = 0.07). CONCLUSIONS: African Americans have lower levels of CK-18 than Caucasians and Hispanics irrespective of HFF% and insulin resistance. Moreover, SNPs in the PNPLA3 and FDFT1 may drive the individual predisposition to development of hepatic injury. |
DOI: | 10.2337/dc12-1791 |

Strategy ID | Therapy Strategy | Synonyms | Therapy Targets | Therapy Drugs | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
S01 | Improve insulin resistance | insulin sensitizer; insulin resistance; glucose tolerance | Biguanide: increases 5-AMP activated protein kinase signaling; SGLT-2 inhibitor; Thiazalidinedione: selective PPAR-γ agonists; GLP-1 agonist | Metformin; Empagliflozin; Canagliflozin; Rosiglitazone; Pioglitazone; Liraglutide | Details |
Diseases ID | DO ID | Disease Name | Definition | Class | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
I05 | 9352 | Type 2 diabetes mellitus | A diabetes that is characterized by chronic hyperglycaemia with disturbances of carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism resulting from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action, or both. A diabetes mellitus that is characterized by high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and relative lack of insulin. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diabetes, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diabetes_mellitus_type_2 | disease of metabolism/inherited metabolic disorder/ carbohydrate metabolic disorder/glucose metabolism disease/diabetes/ diabetes mellitus | Details |
I14 | 9970 | Obesity | An overnutrition that is characterized by excess body fat, traditionally defined as an elevated ratio of weight to height (specifically 30 kilograms per meter squared), has_material_basis_in a multifactorial etiology related to excess nutrition intake, decreased caloric utilization, and genetic susceptibility, and possibly medications and certain disorders of metabolism, endocrine function, and mental illness. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obesity | disease of metabolism/acquired metabolic disease/ nutrition disease/overnutrition | Details |
Drug ID | Drug Name | Type | DrugBank ID | Targets | Category | Latest Progress | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
D080 | Citrulline | Chemical drug | DB00155 | -- | -- | Under clinical trials | Details |
D082 | CK-18 | Miscellany | -- | -- | -- | Under clinical trials | Details |
D182 | Insulin | Biological drug | DB00030 | INSR agonist; CPE modulator&product of | -- | Under clinical trials | Details |
D316 | S-adenosyl-L-methionine | Chemical drug | DB00118 | GNMT cofactor | Antiviral | Under clinical trials | Details |
D094 | Cysteamine | Chemical drug | DB00847 | GSS stimulant | Renal drug | Under clinical trials | Details |
D095 | Cysteamine bitartrate | Chemical drug | DB00847 | -- | -- | Under clinical trials | Details |