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Zhu N, Wang X, Zhu H, Zheng Y. Blood cell parameters and risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a comprehensive Mendelian randomization study. BMC Med Genomics 2024; 17:102. [PMID: 38654378 DOI: 10.1186/s12920-024-01879-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is on the rise globally, and past research suggests a significant association with various blood cell components. Our goal is to explore the potential correlation between whole blood cell indices and NAFLD risk using Mendelian randomization (MR). METHODS We analyzed data from 4,198 participants in the 2017-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to investigate the link between blood cell indicators and NAFLD. Using various methods like weighted quantile sum and multivariate logistic regression, we assessed the association. Additionally, two-sample Mendelian randomization were employed to infer causality for 36 blood cell indicators and NAFLD. RESULTS Multivariate logistic regression identified 10 NAFLD risk factors. Weighted quantile sum revealed a positive correlation (p = 6.03e-07) between total blood cell indices and NAFLD, with hemoglobin and lymphocyte counts as key contributors. Restricted cubic spline analysis found five indicators with significant nonlinear correlations to NAFLD. Mendelian randomization showed a notable association between reticulocyte counts and NAFLD using the inverse-variance weighted method. CONCLUSIONS Hematological markers pose an independent NAFLD risk, with a positive causal link found for reticulocyte count. These results emphasize the importance of monitoring NAFLD and investigating specific underlying mechanisms further.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan Zhu
- Department of Internal Medicine, Hebei Medical University, 050017, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
- Department of Internal Medicine, The First Hospital of Qinhuangdao, 066000, Qinhuangdao, Hebei Province, China
| | - Xiaoliang Wang
- Department of Cardiology, The First Hospital of Qinhuangdao, 066000, Qinhuangdao, Hebei Province, China
| | - Huiting Zhu
- Department of Internal Medicine, The First Hospital of Qinhuangdao, 066000, Qinhuangdao, Hebei Province, China
| | - Yue Zheng
- Department of Internal Medicine, Hebei Medical University, 050017, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China.
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Hospital of Qinhuangdao, 066000, Qinhuangdao, Hebei Province, China.
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Domingo E, Marques P, Francisco V, Piqueras L, Sanz MJ. Targeting systemic inflammation in metabolic disorders. A therapeutic candidate for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases? Pharmacol Res 2024; 200:107058. [PMID: 38218355 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2024.107058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 01/15/2024]
Abstract
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death and disability worldwide. While many factors can contribute to CVD, atherosclerosis is the cardinal underlying pathology, and its development is associated with several metabolic risk factors including dyslipidemia and obesity. Recent studies have definitively demonstrated a link between low-grade systemic inflammation and two relevant metabolic abnormalities: hypercholesterolemia and obesity. Interestingly, both metabolic disorders are also associated with endothelial dysfunction/activation, a proinflammatory and prothrombotic phenotype of the endothelium that involves leukocyte infiltration into the arterial wall, one of the earliest stages of atherogenesis. This article reviews the current literature on the intricate relationship between hypercholesterolemia and obesity and the associated systemic inflammation and endothelial dysfunction, and discusses the effectiveness of present, emerging and in-development pharmacological therapies used to treat these metabolic disorders with a focus on their effects on the associated systemic inflammatory state and cardiovascular risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Domingo
- Institute of Health Research INCLIVA, University Clinic Hospital of Valencia, Valencia, Spain; Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine and Odontology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Patrice Marques
- Institute of Health Research INCLIVA, University Clinic Hospital of Valencia, Valencia, Spain; Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine and Odontology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Vera Francisco
- Institute of Health Research INCLIVA, University Clinic Hospital of Valencia, Valencia, Spain; Endocrinology and Nutrition Service, University Clinic Hospital of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Laura Piqueras
- Institute of Health Research INCLIVA, University Clinic Hospital of Valencia, Valencia, Spain; Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine and Odontology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain; CIBERDEM, Spanish Biomedical Research Center in Diabetes and Associated Metabolic Disorders, Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII), Spain.
| | - Maria-Jesus Sanz
- Institute of Health Research INCLIVA, University Clinic Hospital of Valencia, Valencia, Spain; Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine and Odontology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain; CIBERDEM, Spanish Biomedical Research Center in Diabetes and Associated Metabolic Disorders, Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII), Spain.
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Sawada K, Chung H, Softic S, Moreno-Fernandez ME, Divanovic S. The bidirectional immune crosstalk in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease. Cell Metab 2023; 35:1852-1871. [PMID: 37939656 PMCID: PMC10680147 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2023.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023]
Abstract
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is an unabated risk factor for end-stage liver diseases with no available therapies. Dysregulated immune responses are critical culprits of MASLD pathogenesis. Independent contributions from either the innate or adaptive arms of the immune system or their unidirectional interplay are commonly studied in MASLD. However, the bidirectional communication between innate and adaptive immune systems and its impact on MASLD remain insufficiently understood. Given that both innate and adaptive immune cells are indispensable for the development and progression of inflammation in MASLD, elucidating pathogenic contributions stemming from the bidirectional interplay between these two arms holds potential for development of novel therapeutics for MASLD. Here, we review the immune cell types and bidirectional pathways that influence the pathogenesis of MASLD and highlight potential pharmacologic approaches to combat MASLD based on current knowledge of this bidirectional crosstalk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keisuke Sawada
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45220, USA; Division of Immunobiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA; Immunology Graduate Program, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45220, USA; Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45220, USA
| | - Hak Chung
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45220, USA; Division of Immunobiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - Samir Softic
- Department of Pediatrics and Gastroenterology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA
| | - Maria E Moreno-Fernandez
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45220, USA; Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA.
| | - Senad Divanovic
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45220, USA; Division of Immunobiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA; Immunology Graduate Program, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45220, USA; Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45220, USA; Center for Inflammation and Tolerance, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA.
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Jamshidi N, Feizi A, Sirlin CB, Lavine JE, Kuo MD. Multi-Modality, Multi-Dimensional Characterization of Pediatric Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. Metabolites 2023; 13:929. [PMID: 37623872 PMCID: PMC10456937 DOI: 10.3390/metabo13080929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Revised: 07/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a multifaceted disease that progresses through multiple phases; it involves metabolic as well as structural changes. These alterations can be measured directly or indirectly through blood, non-invasive imaging, and/or tissue analyses. While some studies have evaluated the correlations between two sets of measurements (e.g., histopathology with cross-sectional imaging or blood biomarkers), the interrelationships, if any, among histopathology, clinical blood profiles, cross-sectional imaging, and metabolomics in a pediatric cohort remain unknown. We created a multiparametric clinical MRI-histopathologic NMR network map of pediatric NAFLD through multimodal correlation networks, in order to gain insight into how these different sets of measurements are related. We found that leptin and other blood markers were correlated with many other measurements; however, upon filtering out the blood biomarkers, the network was decomposed into three independent hubs centered around histopathological features, each with associated MRI and plasma metabolites. These multi-modality maps could serve as a framework for characterizing disease status and progression and could potentially guide medical interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neema Jamshidi
- Department of Radiological Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Alborz Feizi
- School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Claude B. Sirlin
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, CA 92093, USA
| | - Joel E. Lavine
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Michael D. Kuo
- Medical AI Laboratory Program, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
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Li Z, Ouyang H, Zhu J. Traditional Chinese medicines and natural products targeting immune cells in the treatment of metabolic-related fatty liver disease. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1195146. [PMID: 37361209 PMCID: PMC10289001 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1195146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
MAFLD stands for metabolic-related fatty liver disease, which is a prevalent liver disease affecting one-third of adults worldwide, and is strongly associated with obesity, hyperlipidemia, and type 2 diabetes. It encompasses a broad spectrum of conditions ranging from simple liver fat accumulation to advanced stages like chronic inflammation, tissue damage, fibrosis, cirrhosis, and even hepatocellular carcinoma. With limited approved drugs for MAFLD, identifying promising drug targets and developing effective treatment strategies is essential. The liver plays a critical role in regulating human immunity, and enriching innate and adaptive immune cells in the liver can significantly improve the pathological state of MAFLD. In the modern era of drug discovery, there is increasing evidence that traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions, natural products and herb components can effectively treat MAFLD. Our study aims to review the current evidence supporting the potential benefits of such treatments, specifically targeting immune cells that are responsible for the pathogenesis of MAFLD. By providing new insights into the development of traditional drugs for the treatment of MAFLD, our findings may pave the way for more effective and targeted therapeutic approaches.
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Shaker ME, Gomaa HAM, Abdelgawad MA, El-Mesery M, Shaaban AA, Hazem SH. Emerging roles of tyrosine kinases in hepatic inflammatory diseases and therapeutic opportunities. Int Immunopharmacol 2023; 120:110373. [PMID: 37257270 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2023.110373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Revised: 05/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Inflammation has been convicted of causing and worsening many liver diseases like acute liver failure, fibrosis, cirrhosis, fatty liver and liver cancer. Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) like TLRs 4 and 9 localized on resident or recruited immune cells are well known cellular detectors of pathogen and damage-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs/DAMPs). Stimulation of these receptors generates the sterile and non-sterile inflammatory responses in the liver. When these responses are repeated, there will be a sustained liver injury that may progress to fibrosis and its outcomes. Crosstalk between inflammatory/fibrogenic-dependent streams and certain tyrosine kinases (TKs) has recently evolved in the context of hepatic diseases. Because of TKs increasing importance, their role should be elucidated to highlight effective approaches to manage the diverse liver disorders. This review will give a brief overview of types and functions of some TKs like BTK, JAKs, Syk, PI3K, Src and c-Abl, as well as receptors for TAM, PDGF, EGF, VEGF and HGF. It will then move to discuss the roles of these TKs in the regulation of the proinflammatory, fibrogenic and tumorigenic responses in the liver. Lastly, the therapeutic opportunities for targeting TKs in hepatic inflammatory disorders will be addressed. Overall, this review sheds light on the diverse TKs that have substantial roles in hepatic disorders and potential therapeutics modulating their activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed E Shaker
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, Jouf University, Sakaka 72341, Aljouf, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Hesham A M Gomaa
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, Jouf University, Sakaka 72341, Aljouf, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohamed A Abdelgawad
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, Jouf University, Sakaka 72341, Aljouf, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohamed El-Mesery
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura University, Mansoura 35516, Egypt; Division of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Germany
| | - Ahmed A Shaaban
- Department of Pharmacology & Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Delta University for Science and Technology, Gamasa 11152, Egypt; Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura University, Mansoura 35516, Egypt
| | - Sara H Hazem
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura University, Mansoura 35516, Egypt
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Goralska J, Razny U, Gruca A, Zdzienicka A, Micek A, Dembinska-Kiec A, Solnica B, Malczewska-Malec M. Plasma Cytokeratin-18 Fragment Level Reflects the Metabolic Phenotype in Obesity. Biomolecules 2023; 13:biom13040675. [PMID: 37189422 DOI: 10.3390/biom13040675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Revised: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
There is growing interest in the non-invasive identification and monitoring of the outcome of liver damage in obese patients. Plasma cytokeratin-18 (CK-18) fragment levels correlate with the magnitude of hepatocyte apoptosis and have recently been proposed to independently predict the presence of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The aim of the study was to analyze the associations of CK-18 with obesity and related complications: insulin resistance, impaired lipid metabolism and the secretion of hepatokines, adipokines and pro-inflammatory cytokines. The study involved 151 overweight and obese patients (BMI 25-40), without diabetes, dyslipidemia or apparent liver disease. Liver function was assessed based on alanine aminotransferase (ALT), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) and the fatty liver index (FLI). CK-18 M30 plasma levels, FGF-21, FGF-19 and cytokines were determined by ELISA. CK-18 values >150 U/l were accompanied by high ALT, GGT and FLI, insulin resistance, postprandial hypertriglyceridemia, elevated FGF-21 and MCP-1 and decreased adiponectin. ALT activity was the strongest independent factor influencing high CK-18 plasma levels, even after an adjustment for age, sex and BMI [β coefficient (95%CI): 0.40 (0.19-0.61)]. In conclusion, the applied CK-18 cut-off point at 150 U/l allows to distinguish between two metabolic phenotypes in obesity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Goralska
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Skawinska 8, 31-066 Krakow, Poland
| | - Urszula Razny
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Skawinska 8, 31-066 Krakow, Poland
| | - Anna Gruca
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Skawinska 8, 31-066 Krakow, Poland
| | - Anna Zdzienicka
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Skawinska 8, 31-066 Krakow, Poland
| | - Agnieszka Micek
- Institute of Nursing and Midwifery, Jagiellonian University Medical College; Michałowskiego 12, 31-126 Krakow, Poland
| | - Aldona Dembinska-Kiec
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Skawinska 8, 31-066 Krakow, Poland
| | - Bogdan Solnica
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Skawinska 8, 31-066 Krakow, Poland
| | - Malgorzata Malczewska-Malec
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Skawinska 8, 31-066 Krakow, Poland
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