Diagnostic capabilities of kallistatin, IL-10 and IL-1β in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and hypertension

Abstract

Introduction. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is closely linked to hypertension (HT) and affects about 25% of the adult population. An important issue remains the search for non-invasive biomarkers for NAFLD diagnosis. The objective of the study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of kallistatin, interleukin-10 (IL-10) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in diagnosis of NAFLD in combination with HT. Materials and methods. 115 patients with NAFLD at the stage of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) with and without HT were examined. Clinical and laboratory parameters were evaluated; plasma kallistatin, IL-10 and IL-1β levels were measured in all patients. Results. Kallistatin levels averaged 65.03 ng/ml, 83.42 ng/ml and 111.70 ng/ml in patients with NAFLD and HT, isolated NAFLD and control group, respectively. The IL-10 level was 2.69 ng/ml and 4.90 ng/ml in patients with comorbid and isolated NAFLD, respectively, while control results averaged 8.17 ng/ml. The IL-1β level in NAFLD and HT group was 4.76 pg/ml, and in isolated NAFLD group the indicator averaged 4.02 pg/ml, which exceeded the control values (0.59 pg/ml). Conclusions. Concomitant HT in NAFLD patients is associated with significantly more explicit functional liver changes. The course of NAFLD is accompanied by a significant decrease in the plasma kallistatin and IL-10 levels with increase of IL-1β activity. Concomitant HT, higher HT stage and BP grade, increased BMI and high CRP levels are associated with significantly more pronounced biomarker changes. Kallistatin, IL-10 and IL-1β can play an important role in NAFLD diagnosis, in particular, in patients with NAFLD and HT.