title: Increased soluble CD36 is linked to advanced steatosis in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Soluble CD36 (sCD36) clusters with insulin resistance, but no evidence exists on its relationship with hepatic fat content. We determined sCD36 to assess its link to steatosis in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred and twenty-seven NAFLD, eighty-seven CHC, and eighty-five patients with histologically normal liver (NL) were studied. Steatosis was graded by Kleiner's histological scoring system. Serum sCD36 and hepatic CD36 expression was assessed by immunoassay and immunohistochemistry, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In NAFLD, serum sCD36 levels were significantly higher in simple steatosis than in NL (361.4 ± 286.4 vs. 173.9 ± 137.4 pg/mL, respectively; P < 0.001), but not in steatohepatitis (229.6 ± 202.5 pg/mL; P = 0.153). In CHC, serum sCD36 levels were similar regardless of the absence (428.7 ± 260.3 pg/mL) or presence of steatosis (387.2 ± 283.6 pg/mL; P = 0.173). A progressive increase in serum sCD36 values was found in NAFLD depending on the histological grade of steatosis (P < 0.001), but not in CHC (P = 0.151). Serum sCD36 concentrations were independently associated with advanced steatosis in NAFLD when adjusted by demographic and anthropometric features [odds ratio (OR), 1.001; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.000 to 1.002; P = 0.021] and by metabolic variables (OR, 1.002; 95% CI, 1.000 to 1.003; P = 0.001). Interestingly, a significant correlation was observed between hepatic CD36 and serum sCD36 (ρ = 0.499, P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Increased serum sCD36 is an independent factor associated with advanced steatosis in NAFLD.
authors.affiliation: Liver Research Unit, University Hospital Santa Cristina, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Princesa, CIBEREHD, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Carmelo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: García-Monzón
authors.forename: Oreste
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Lo Iacono
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Crespo
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Romero-Gómez
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: García-Samaniego
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fernández-Bermejo
authors.forename: Agustín
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Domínguez-Díez
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rodríguez de Cía
authors.forename: Alicia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sáez
authors.forename: José Luís
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Porrero
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vargas-Castrillón
authors.forename: Enrique
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Chávez-Jiménez
authors.forename: Susana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Soto-Fernández
authors.forename: Ainhoa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Díaz
authors.forename: Rocío
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gallego-Durán
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Madejón
authors.forename: María Eugenia
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Miquilena-Colina
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018955:CD36 Antigens / Q000097:blood*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D018955:CD36 Antigens
keywords: Fatty acid translocase; nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; noninvasive diagnosis; serum biomarker; steatosis