STUDY OF THE RELATION BETWEEN SERUM LIPOPROTEIN-ASSOCIATED PHOSPHOLIPASE A2 (LP-PLA2) LEVEL AND NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NAFLD)

Abstract

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease worldwide and represents a major global public health challenge. It is characterised by the increased accumulation of hepatic fat (>5%) and is closely linked with the presence of the metabolic syndrome and its components: obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension and dyslipidaemia. NAFLD is a spectrum of progressive liver disease comprising steatosis (non-alcoholic fatty liver, NAFL), in which excessive hepatic fat is present, and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a necroinflammatory form of the condition marked by histological inflammation and hepatocyte ballooning that leads to progressive liver fibrosis. NAFLD is a cause of significant morbidity and mortality; left untreated, fibrosis may progress to cirrhosis and can result in end-stage liver disease or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Several epidemiological studies indicate that NAFLD, especially in its more severe forms, is linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, and this increased risk is independent from underlying cardio-metabolic risk factors. Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) is an enzyme that is produced by inflammatory cells, co-travels with circulating low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and hydrolyzes oxidized phospholipids in LDL. Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) was recently characterized as a novel vascular-specific inflammatory biomarker