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Type 1 autoimmune hepatitis and adipokines: new markers for activity and disease progression?

  • Original Article—Liver, Pancreas, and Biliary Tract
  • Published:
Journal of Gastroenterology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Cytokines may play an important role as inflammatory factors in liver diseases. There is some evidence suggesting a link between adiponectin–biliary function and liver disease. The aim of this study was to clarify the behavior of adipokines in autoimmune hepatitis type 1.

Methods

We assessed the circulating levels of adiponectin, tumor necrosis factor-α, resistin and leptin in 42 patients with autoimmune hepatitis, comparing them with 42 healthy subjects who were matched for age and sex and with 31 patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), evaluating the associations with markers of cytolysis, cholestasis, and histological severity.

Results

Adiponectin and TNF-α values were higher in patients compared to controls. The patients showed significantly higher Homeostasis Model Assessment values, suggesting an increased insulin resistance and serum levels of adiponectin positively correlated with γ-glutamyltranspeptidase and alkaline phosphatase values after a simple regression analysis. Serum levels of resistin positively correlated with elevated aminotransferases and bilirubin values, and serum levels of TNF-α positively correlated with elevated alanine-aminotransferase and resistin values. The concentration of adiponectin increased significantly with staging of the disease. Patients with NASH showed lower levels of adiponectin and higher levels of resistin than AIH patients and controls.

Conclusions

Patients with AIH showed significantly higher adiponectin concentrations than controls despite their higher HOMA-IR values. The significant correlation between adiponectin levels and serological features of cholestasis suggested an association with biliary function. Our results indicate that adiponectin may be a possible marker for disease progression in AIH.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine, University of Turin, C.so A.M.Dogliotti 14, 10126, Turin, Italy

    Marilena Durazzo, Alberto Premoli, Enrico Morello, Roberto Gambino, Simona Bo, Giovanni Musso, Maurizio Cassader & Gianfranco Pagano

  2. Department of Gastroenterology, Hospital “Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza”, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy

    Grazia Niro

  3. Department of Surgical and Gastroenterological Sciences Gastroenterology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy

    Erik Rosa Rizzotto & Annarosa Floreani

Authors
  1. Marilena Durazzo
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  2. Grazia Niro
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  3. Alberto Premoli
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  4. Enrico Morello
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  5. Erik Rosa Rizzotto
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  6. Roberto Gambino
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  7. Simona Bo
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  8. Giovanni Musso
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  9. Maurizio Cassader
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  10. Gianfranco Pagano
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  11. Annarosa Floreani
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marilena Durazzo.

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Durazzo, M., Niro, G., Premoli, A. et al. Type 1 autoimmune hepatitis and adipokines: new markers for activity and disease progression?. J Gastroenterol 44, 476–482 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00535-009-0023-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00535-009-0023-0

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