These results showed the protective role of Ang-(1-7) in the development of NASH through an adiponectin-independent mechanism, which may be partially attributed to the activation of hepatic AMP-activated protein kinase pathway.
The frequencies of adiponectin gene promoter-11377C/G(CG), -11377C/G (GG), GPx-1 gene C594T (CT) and C594T (TT) were 24.50%, 26.00%, 24.00%, and 25.50% in the NAFL group, 34.50%, 37.00%, 35.00%, and 36.00% in the NASH group, 42.00%, 46.00%, 43.50%, and 45.50% in the NAFHC group, and 14.00%, 14.50%, 13.00%, and 14.00% in the control group, respectively.
The current data indicate that in NASH hepatic inflammation and fibrosis but not hepatic steatosis induce liver MMP-9 activity, and this induction seems to be related to the anti-inflammatory activity of adiponectin rather than its effect on hepatocellular MMP-9 expression.
Variations in adiponectin levels could be an indicator of disease progression since inflammatory infiltrates are commonly associated with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in morbidly obese patients.
Also, adiponectin levels were compared with those of a control group of 30 healthy volunteers with normal ultrasound findings of the upper abdomen who had no known NASH risk factors.
The prevalence of adiponectin single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) 45GT and 276GT was assessed in 70 nonobese, nondiabetic, normolipidemic NAFLD patients and 70 healthy matched controls; the impact of the adiponectin SNPs was subsequently correlated to liver histology and postprandial adiponectin and lipoprotein responses to oral fat load in a subgroup of 30 biopsy-proven patients with NASH and 30 controls.