Hepcidin and iron biomarkers status in men with non- alcoholic fatty liver disease

Abstract

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is the most common liver disease in the world, which is associated with metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance and obesity. Hepcidin is an acute phase reactant protein which increases in inflammatory conditions mediated by IL-6 and its concentration elevates within the cell through regulating iron metabolism. The aim of this study is to determination of hepcidin and iron biomarkers in men with non alcoholic fatty liver disease. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on patients with NAFLD referred to Tabriz Fatty Liver Clinic in 2021-2022. 80 patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver confirmed based on ultrasound and laboratory findings and in the age range of 20-50 years old with moderate physical activity referring to the fatty liver clinic were selected randomly. After 12 hours of fasting, a blood sample was taken and after serum separation, it was stored at -70°C to measure hepcidin, iron, TIBC, ferritin, ALT and AST. Results: In this study, the median (25th and 75th percentile) of hepcidin in the studied patients was 0.02 (0.01 - 0.02). Also, the median (25th and 75th percentiles) of iron biomarkers, including iron, TIBC and ferritin, were 82.0 (64-2 - 111.5), 350.0 (321.3 - 382.0) and 78.2 (40.3 - 175.8), respectively. The median (25th and 75th percentiles) of liver biomarkers, including ALT and AST, were 30.0 (18.5 - 44.5) and 19.0 (24.0 - 31.8), respectively. In this study, among the iron biomarkers, none of the iron, TIBC and ferritin variables had a statistically significant relationship with the serum hepcidin level (P-value>0.05); Also, among the liver biomarkers, none of the ALT and AST variables had a statistically significant relationship with the serum hepcidin level (P-value>0.05).