Intrahepatic lipid content tied to soluble E-selectin levels

At a population level, intrahepatic lipid (IHL) content seems to be a significant and independent predictor of soluble E-selectin (sE-selectin) levels, a recent study suggests.

Drawing from The Maastricht Study, a population-based cohort study, researchers assessed the cross-sectional associations between IHL, as quantified by magnetic resonance imaging, and sE-selectin in 1,634 participants (mean age 59 years, 49 percent women). Around a fifth (21 percent) of the study cohort had type 2 diabetes.

The median IHL content in participants was 3.4 percent, while 27 percent had nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Multivariable regression analysis revealed a significant correlation between ¹⁰log sE-selectin and IHL content (B, 0.03, 95 percent confidence interval, 0.019–0.042; p<0.001), which remained significant, though slightly weakened, after adjusting for confounders such as sociodemographic factors, type 2 diabetes, and lifestyle, among other factors.

The link between IHL and sE-selectin were robust to various sensitivity analyses. For instance, replacing IHL content with serum alanine or aspartate aminotransferase yielded comparable associations with sE-selectin. Replacing body mass index with waist circumference, and type 2 diabetes with glycated haemoglobin, likewise did not affect the principal findings.

Moreover, additional consideration for the use of glucose- or lipid-lowering medication, as well as cardiovascular risk factors, did not attenuate the interaction between IHL and sE-selectin.

“These results combined with previous experimental and epidemiological findings support the involvement of liver sinusoidal endothelial cell dysfunction in the pathogenesis of NAFLD and a specific role of E-selectin herein,” the researchers said.