Pro-Neurotensin as a Potential Novel Diagnostic Biomarker for Detection of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

• Published in: Diabetes, metabolic syndrome and obesity Vol. 15; pp. 1935 - 1943
• Main Authors: Mohamed, Amal A, Abo-Elmatty, Dina M, Ezzat, Omnia, Mesbah, Noha M, Ali, Nada S, Abd El Fatah, Aliaa Sayed, Alsayed, Eman, Hamada, Mahmoud, Hassnine, Alshymaa A, Abd-Elsalam, Sherief, Abdelghani, Ahmed, Hassan, Mohamed Badr, Fattah, Shaimaa A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New Zealand Dove Medical Press Limited 01.01.2022; Taylor & Francis Ltd; Dove; Dove Medical Press
• Subjects: biomarker; Biomarkers; Body mass index; Cholesterol; Comparative analysis; diagnosis; Enzymes; Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid; Fatty acids; Fatty liver; Gene expression; Health care access; Hemoglobin; Hepatitis; High density lipoprotein; Insulin resistance; Laboratories; Lipids; Lipoproteins; Liver cancer; Liver cirrhosis; Liver diseases; Medical diagnosis; Medical research; Medicine, Experimental; metabolic associated fatty liver disease (mafld); Metabolic syndrome; micro rna 122; MicroRNA; MicroRNAs; Neuropeptides; Neurotensin; nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (nafld); noninvasive; Original Research; Patients; proneurotensin; Proteins; Small intestine; Statistical analysis; Sterols; Triglycerides; Ultrasonic imaging; Canada; Egypt; Germany; MAFLD; NAFLD; metabolic associated fatty liver disease; nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; proneurotensin; noninvasive; diagnosis; fatty liver; biomarker; micro-RNA-122
• DOI: 10.2147/DMSO.S365147
• ISSN: 1178-7007

Currently, liver biopsy is the gold standard method for diagnosis of non-alcoholic fatty liver severity. It is critical to develop non-invasive diagnostic method to diagnose nonalcoholic fatty liver rather than invasive techniques. Our case-control study was to address the value of circulating miRNA-122 and serum pro-neurotensin as a potential non-invasive biomarker for the diagnosis of non-alcoholic fatty acid diseases. Clinical assessment, laboratory investigations, and anthropometric measurements were reported for 157 patients with proven NAFLD. Apparently, healthy participants (n=100) were enrolled as a control group. Serum samples were tested for micro-RNAs-122 and pro-neurotensin. Compared with the control subjects, both mi-RNA-122 and serum proneurotensin levels were increased in NAFLD (p<0.001) and at a cut-off ≥6.83, mi-RNA-122 had 51.0% sensitivity, 70.0% specificity to differentiate NAFLD from healthy controls, while serum proneurotensin had 80.0% sensitivity and 80.0% specificity at a cutoff ≥108. The circulating pro-neurotensin might be used as a novel biomarker for diagnosis of patients with NAFLD, wherefore the integration of a circulating mi-RNA-122 and serum pro-neurotensin could be beneficial to diagnose NAFLD cases. Large-scale studies are needed to investigate the possible role of mi-RNA-122 and pro-neurotensin in the development, progression, and prognosis of NAFLD and NASH.