Background: Haemodynamic impairment, inflammatory mediators and glucose metabolism disturbances have been implicated in the pathogenesis of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD).
Aim: To investigate the cytokine profile in NAFLD patients in peripheral (P) and hepatic venous (HV) blood and to compare with histology, haemodynamic and metabolic parameters.
Methods: 40 obese patients with an indication for a transjugular liver biopsy were enrolled. Besides an extended liver and metabolic work-up, interleukin (IL) 1B, IL4, IL6, IL10, IL23, tumour necrosis factor (TNF) α and interferon (INF) γ were measured in plasma obtained from P and HV blood by means of multiplex immunoassay. The T helper (Th)1/Th2, the macrophage M1/M2 and the IL10/IL17a ratios were calculated.
Results: A decrease of the P-IL10/IL17-ratio and an increase of the P-M1/M2-ratio (p<0.05) were observed in NASH versus no-NASH patients. A P-M1/M2-ratio increase was detected also in patients with portal hypertension in comparison with patients without it (p<0.05). Moreover diabetic patients showed an increase of the P-Th1/Th2-ratio in comparison with non-diabetic ones (p<0.05). The P-M1/M2 ratio positively correlated with steatosis grade (r = 0.39, p = 0.02) and insulin (r = 0.47, p = 0.003). The HV-M1/M2 ratio positively correlated with fasting insulin and Hepatic Venous Pressure Gradient (r = 0.47, p = 0.003). IL6 correlated with the visceral fat amount (r = 0.36, p = 0.02). The P- and HV-IL10/IL17 ratios negatively correlated with fasting insulin (respectively r = -0.4, p = 0.005 and r = 0.4, p = 0.01).
Conclusions: A proinflammatory cytokine state is associated with more disturbed metabolic, histological, and haemodynamic features in NAFLD obese patients. An increase of the M1/M2 ratio and a decrease of the IL10/IL17 ratio play a key role in this process.