Pentraxin 3 and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Egyptian Patients:Merits and Flaws

Background/Aims: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common chronic liver diseases. Pentraxin 3 (PTX3) has consistently been noted in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and has been observed to be related to the grade of fibrosis.

Objectives: It was to assess the potential of PTX3 as a non-invasive tool for the detection and grading of NAFLD among Egyptian patients.

Methods: Sixty Egyptian patients with NAFLD attending the outpatient clinic at Cairo University Hospital were compared to 60 healthy subjects as controls in terms of the body mass index (BMI), waist and neck circumferences, lipid profile, and serum PTX3 level. Additionally, abdominal ultrasound for grading of liver steatosis was performed. Non-invasive tests of liver fibrosis (FIB4, AAR & APRI) were calculated.

Results: PTX3 level was significantly greater in the NAFLD group (3.25 ± 1.85) than in the control group (0.70 ± 0.29, p ≤ 0.001), but it was not correlated with the severity of steatosis or steatohepatitis. The BMI and waist and neck circumferences were correlated with the steatosis grade. Non of FIB4, AAR & APRI were correlated to pentraxin level. In addition, ultrasound measurements of the right lobe of the liver were correlated with the degree of steatosis.

Conclusions: PTX3 could serve as a surrogate diagnostic biomarker in NAFLD; however, it does not correlate with the severity of steatosis or steatohepatitis.