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Hepatic Glucose Uptake Is Increased in Association with Elevated Serum γ-Glutamyl Transpeptidase and Triglyceride

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Abstract

Background

Subjects with fatty liver disease (FLD) can show increased hepatic 2-deoxy-2-(18F)fluoro-d-glucose (FDG) uptake, but the role of hepatic inflammation has not been explored.

Aims

We investigated whether hepatic inflammatory response, as implicated by elevated serum markers, is associated with increased liver FDG uptake in FLD.

Methods

Liver sonography and FDG positron emission tomography was performed in 331 asymptomatic men with nonalcoholic FLD (NAFLD), 122 with alcoholic FLD (AFLD), and 349 controls. Mean standard uptake value (SUV) of liver FDG uptake was compared to cardiac risk factors and serum markers of liver injury.

Results

Hepatic FDG mean SUV was increased in NAFLD (2.40 ± 0.25) and AFLD groups (2.44 ± 0.25) compared to controls (2.28 ± 0.26; both P < 0.001). Both FLD groups also had higher serum γ-glutamylranspeptidase (GGT), triglyceride (TG), hepatic transaminases, and LDL. High GGT and TG levels were independent determinants of increased FDG uptake for both FLD groups. Hepatic mean SUV significantly increased with high compared to low GGT for NAFLD (2.48 ± 0.28 vs. 2.37 ± 0.24), AFLD (2.51 ± 0.27 vs. 2.39 ± 0.23), and control groups (2.39 ± 0.22 vs. 2.26 ± 0.26). High TG increased hepatic mean SUV in AFLD and control groups. Furthermore, serum GGT and TG levels significantly correlated to hepatic mean SUV in all three groups.

Conclusions

Hepatic FDG uptake is closely associated with elevated TG and GGT regardless of the presence of FLD. Thus, inflammation response may play a major role in increased hepatic glucose uptake.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Samsung Biomedical Research Institute Grant No. C-A9-225-3.

Conflict of interest

None.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 81 Irwon-Ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Korea

    Sun-pyo Hong, Tae Soo Noh, Seung-Hwan Moon, Young Seok Cho, Eun Jeong Lee, Joon Young Choi, Byung-Tae Kim & Kyung-Han Lee

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  1. Sun-pyo Hong
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  2. Tae Soo Noh
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  3. Seung-Hwan Moon
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  4. Young Seok Cho
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  5. Eun Jeong Lee
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  7. Byung-Tae Kim
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kyung-Han Lee.

Additional information

Sun-pyo Hong and Tae Soo Noh contributed equally to the study.

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Hong, Sp., Noh, T.S., Moon, SH. et al. Hepatic Glucose Uptake Is Increased in Association with Elevated Serum γ-Glutamyl Transpeptidase and Triglyceride. Dig Dis Sci 59, 607–613 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-013-2957-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-013-2957-6

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