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Evaluation of Plasma Trace Elements in Different Stages of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

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Abstract

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is considered as the hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome. Its global prevalence is estimated between 25 and 45%, occurring mainly in overweight individuals with unhealthy dietary habits and low levels of physical activity. Many studies have investigated the association of trace elements with liver diseases, though not with NAFLD. In this work, we investigated trace element levels in plasma of patients and not-patients and their possible association with various stages of the disease. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was employed for the determination of As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cs, Cu, Fe, Rb, Sr, Tl, and Zn in the plasma of 189 free-living residents of Athens, Greece, either healthy or patients with mild, moderate, or severe NAFLD. The disease was diagnosed by abdominal ultrasound; blood samples were analyzed for total, HDL and LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting glucose, fasting insulin, and liver enzymes, namely aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), and γ-glutamyltransferase (Gamma-GT); insulin resistance was determined by the homeostatic model assessment (HOMA-IR). Zinc exhibited a statistically significant negative association with the severity of the disease, while cesium showed a statistically significant positive association. Moreover, thallium and iron were inversely associated with insulin levels. Trace element determination in plasma could be useful for establishing relationships with NAFLD status of patients. Further research is required for the verification and interpretation of these findings.

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Funding

This study was supported by the grant “Obesity and metabolic syndrome: dietary intervention with Greek raisins in NAFLD / NASH. Investigation of molecular mechanisms” reviewed and approved by the Greek Secretariat for Research and Technology (Cooperation 890/2009).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Science and Education, Harokopio University of Athens, Athens, Greece

    Eleni Asprouli, Ioanna Panagiota Kalafati, George V. Dedoussis & Nick Kalogeropoulos

  2. Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece

    Eleni Asprouli, Aikaterini Sakellari, Sotirios Karavoltsos & Manos Dassenakis

  3. Academic Department of Gastroenterology, Laiko General Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece

    John Vlachogiannakos

  4. Radiology Department, Laiko General Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece

    Konstantinos Revenas

  5. First Department of Propaedeutic and Internal Medicine, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece

    Alexander Kokkinos

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  1. Eleni Asprouli
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  2. Ioanna Panagiota Kalafati
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  3. Aikaterini Sakellari
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  5. John Vlachogiannakos
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  7. Alexander Kokkinos
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  8. Manos Dassenakis
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  9. George V. Dedoussis
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  10. Nick Kalogeropoulos
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Correspondence to Nick Kalogeropoulos.

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The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Harokopio University of Athens (35/25-07-2012), based on the Helsinki Declaration.

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Asprouli, E., Kalafati, I.P., Sakellari, A. et al. Evaluation of Plasma Trace Elements in Different Stages of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. Biol Trace Elem Res 188, 326–333 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-018-1432-9

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