Leukocyte cell-derived chemotaxin 2 correlates with pediatric non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Abstract

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), newly renamed metabolic dysfunction-associated liver disease (MASLD), is a leading cause of liver disease in children and adults. There is a paucity of data surrounding potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets, especially in pediatric NAFLD. Leukocyte cell-derived chemotaxin 2 (LECT2) is a chemokine associated with both liver disease and skeletal muscle insulin resistance. Our aim was to determine associations between LECT2 and common clinical findings of NAFLD in pediatric patients. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure serum LECT2 concentrations in children (aged 2-17 years) with and without NAFLD. LECT2 concentrations were then correlated to clinical parameters in NAFLD. Mean LECT2 was significantly elevated in children with NAFLD versus healthy controls (n = 63 vs. 42, 5.83 ± 1.98 vs. 4.02 ± 2.02 ng/mL, p < 0.005). Additionally, LECT2 had strong correlations with body mass index (BMI) (Pearson r = 0.301, p = 0.002). A LECT2 concentration of 3.76 mg/mL predicts NAFLD with a sensitivity of 90.5% and specificity of 54.8%. Principal component analysis and logistic regression models further confirmed associations between LECT2 and NAFLD status. This study demonstrates increased serum LECT2 concentrations in pediatric NAFLD, which correlates with BMI and shows strong predictive value within these patients. Our data indicate that LECT2 is a potential diagnostic biomarker of disease and should be further investigated in pediatric as well as adult NAFLD.

• Authors: Diego Paine-Cabrera, Lisa K Harvey, Dakota R Robarts, Michele T Pritchard, John Thyfault, Steven A Weinman, Udayan Apte, Voytek Slowik
• Journal: Clinical and translational science (Clin Transl Sci) Vol. 16 Issue 12 Pg. 2719-2728 (12 2023) ISSN: 1752-8062 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 37877453 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural)
• Copyright: © 2023 The Authors. Clinical and Translational Science published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

Chemical References

• Biomarkers
• Chemotactic Factors
• Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
• LECT2 protein, human

Topics

• Adult
• Child
• Humans
• Biomarkers
• Chemotactic Factors (metabolism)
• Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins (metabolism)
• Liver (metabolism)
• Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (diagnosis, metabolism)