Objective. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether
pentraxin 3 (PTX3) can be a new noninvasive marker for prediction of
liver fibrosis in patients with
NAFLD. We also aimed to evaluate the relationship between PTX3 and
atherosclerosis in patients with
NAFLD. Method. Fifty-four male patients with biopsy-proven
NAFLD and 20 apparently healthy male volunteers were included. PTX3 levels were determined, using an ELISA method (R&D Sysytems, Quantikine ELISA, USA). To detect the presence of subclinical
atherosclerosis in
NAFLD, measurements of CIMT, FMD, and cf-PWV levels were performed. Results. PTX3 levels in
NAFLD patients with
fibrosis were higher than both
NAFLD patients without
fibrosis and controls (P = 0.032 and P = 0.028, respectively), but there was no difference between controls and
NAFLD patients without
fibrosis in terms of PTX3 levels (P = 0.903). PTX3 levels were strongly correlated with cf-PWV (r = 0.359, P = 0.003), whereas no significant correlation was found with other
atherosclerosis markers, CIMT and FMD. Conclusion. Elevated plasma PTX3 levels are associated with the presence of
fibrosis in patients with
NAFLD, independently of
metabolic syndrome components. This study demonstrated that for the first time there is a close association between elevated PTX3 levels and increased arterial stiffness in patients with
NAFLD.