Is there a role for neuregulin 4 in human nonalcoholic fatty liver disease?

PLoS One. 2021 May 14;16(5):e0251822. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0251822. eCollection 2021.

Abstract

Background: Neuregulin 4 (Nrg4), a novel adipokine enriched in brown adipose tissue has been observed to negatively regulate de novo hepatic lipogenesis and limit nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) progression to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in rodents. However, the role of Nrg4 in human NAFLD remains unclear to date. We analysed Nrg4 plasma levels and its association with liver disease severity together with the transcriptional profile of the Nrg4 pathway in liver and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) of NAFLD patients.

Methods: Plasma Nrg4 levels were measured in 65 NAFLD patients and 43 healthy controls (HC). Hepatic steatosis and fibrosis were diagnosed and quantified with chemical shift MRI and transient elastography respectively. Furthermore, blood lipid levels, HOMA-IR and systemic pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6 and IFN-γ) were analysed. Microarray analyses to assess differences in the Nrg4 and its receptor family ErbB pathway in liver and VAT from an independent patient group with biopsy proven NAFL (simple steatosis) (n = 4), NASH (n = 5) and normal liver (n = 6) were performed.

Results: Plasma Nrg4 levels were not significantly different between NAFLD patients and HC (p = 0.622). Furthermore, plasma Nrg4 levels did not correlate with the hepatic fat fraction (r = -0.028, p = 0.829) and were not significantly different between NAFLD patients with or without hepatic fibrosis (p = 0.087). Finally, the expression profile of 82 genes related to the Nrg4-ErbB pathway in liver and VAT was not significantly different between NAFL, NASH or obese controls.

Conclusion: Our study does not support a role for Nrg4 in the pathophysiology of human NAFLD.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adipokines / blood
  • Adipose Tissue, Brown / metabolism
  • Adult
  • Body Mass Index
  • Disease Progression
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Interferon-gamma / blood
  • Interferon-gamma / genetics
  • Interleukin-6 / blood
  • Interleukin-6 / genetics
  • Intra-Abdominal Fat / metabolism*
  • Intra-Abdominal Fat / pathology
  • Lipogenesis / genetics
  • Liver / metabolism*
  • Liver / pathology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neuregulins / blood*
  • Neuregulins / genetics
  • Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / blood*
  • Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / genetics
  • Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / pathology
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / blood
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / genetics

Substances

  • Adipokines
  • IFNG protein, human
  • Interleukin-6
  • Neuregulins
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha
  • neuregulin-4
  • Interferon-gamma

Grants and funding

J. Verbeek - seeding grant of the School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), Maastricht University, The Netherlands. https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/research/school-nutrition-and-translational-research-metabolism The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.