Non-invasive Biomarkers in Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitisinduced Hepatocellular Carcinoma

2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 425-429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mihai Voiculescu ◽  
Radu M. Nanau ◽  
Manuela G. Neuman

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is by far the most common form of chronic liver disease worldwide, affecting adults as well as children. Under the term of NAFLD there is a wide spectrum of diseases ranging from simple steatosis to the non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which can progress to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Several mechanisms have been described to influence the progression of the disease from the benign NAFL to the aggressive NASH. The imbalance between pro- and anti-oxidant mechanisms and between pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines is thought to play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of NAFLD and disease progression toward NASH and fibrosis. The present review intends to look at some of the mechanistic biomarkers to be employed in establishing an early diagnosis in HCC derived from NASH.Abbreviations: ANGPT: angiopoietin-2; AFP: α-fetoprotein; ALT: alanine aminotransferase; AST: aspartate aminotransferase; CI: confidence interval; COL: collagen; DCP: des-carboxyprothrombin; γGT: gamma glutamyl transpeptidase; HBV: hepatitis B virus; HCC: hepatocellular carcinoma; HCV: hepatitis C virus; HR: hazard ratio; ITG: integrin; LAM: laminin collagen genes; MMP: matrix metalloproteinase; MS: metabolic syndrome; NAFLD: non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; NASH: non-alcoholic steatohepatitis; PDGFRA: platelet derived growth factor receptor-α

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-83
Author(s):  
N. B. Gubergrits ◽  
N. V. Byelyayeva ◽  
G. M. Lukashevich ◽  
P. G. Fomenko ◽  
A. V. Yuryeva

The article provides brief epidemiological data on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, emphasizing the danger of steatohepatitis, progression of which may cause the development of hepatocellular carcinoma. The properties of ursodeoxycholic acid, which are the basis for its use in a treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, are analyzed in detail, such as cytoprotective, antioxidant, antifibrotic ones, effects on apoptosis, etc. The authors presented the results of the main evidence-based studies demonstrating the effectiveness of ursodeoxycholic acid and its combinations with other drugs in the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose D. Torres-Peña ◽  
Laura Martín-Piedra ◽  
Francisco Fuentes-Jiménez

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the primary cause of chronic liver disease. The range is extensive, including hepatocellular carcinoma, cirrhosis, fibrosis, fatty liver, and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). NASH is a condition related to obesity, overweight, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. It is a dynamic condition that can regress to isolated steatosis or progress to fibrosis and cirrhosis. Statins exert anti-inflammatory, proapoptotic, and antifibrotic effects. It has been proposed that these drugs could have a relevant role in NASH. In this review, we provide an overview of current evidence, from mechanisms of statins involved in the modulation of NASH to human trials about the use of statins to treat or attenuate NASH.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (5) ◽  
pp. 126
Author(s):  
Kuhu Roy ◽  
Uma Lyer

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become a common chronic liver disease, global in nature. Occurring in individuals without a history of significant ethanol consumption, it encompasses a wide spectrum of hepatic disorders. It ranges from simple steatosis, to its advanced form, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), fibrosis, cirrhosis to even hepatocellular carcinoma. Infact, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) can also develop even in the absence of cirrhosis. The prevalence of NAFLD is on the rise primarily because of the already prevalent metabolic conditions like insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, central obesity and dyslipidemia. Therefore, NAFLD is associated with adverse metabolic consequences. Other than the detrimental hepatic outcomes mentioned above, cases of NAFLD have a very high predisposition to cardiovascular disease. Therefore, management of NAFLD is of paramount importance. However, the challenge lies in the fact that there are no approved therapeutic drug regimens for the treatment of NAFLD. Currently, the standard care comprises of treating the underlying co-existing metabolic abnormalities along with a strong focus on lifestyle modification.Keywords: Non—alcoholic fatty liver disease, antioxidants, milk thistle, silymarin, flavonolignans, silibin


2020 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgios Sfikas ◽  
Michael Psallas ◽  
Charalambos Koumaras ◽  
Konstantinos Imprialos ◽  
Evangelos Perdikakis ◽  
...  

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and its severe form, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), are major health problems worldwide. Genetics may play a role in the pathogenesis of NAFLD/NASH. Aim: To investigate the prevalence of NAFLD/NASH in 5,400 military personnel and evaluate the effect of treatment with 3 statins on NAFLD/NASH using 2 non-invasive scores [NAFLD Activity Score (NAS); Fibrosis-4 score (FIB-4)]. Methods: During the mandatory annual medical check-up, military personnel underwent a clinical and laboratory evaluation. Participants with NAFLD/NASH were randomised to 4 groups (n=151 each): dietexercise, atorvastatin, rosuvastatin or pitavastatin for 1 year (i.e. until the next routine evaluation). Results: From all the participants, 613 had NAFLD/NASH (prevalence 11.3 vs 39.8% in the general population, p<0.001); 604 consented to participate in the study. After a year of treatment, the diet-exercise group showed no significant changes in both scores (NAS 4.98 baseline vs 5.62, p=0.07; FIB-4 3.42 vs 3.52, p=0.7). For the atorvastatin group, both scores were reduced (NAS 4.97 vs 1.95, p<0.001, FIB-4 3.56 vs 0.83, p<0.001), for rosuvastatin (NAS 5.55 vs 1.81, p<0.001, FIB-4 3.61 vs 0.79, p<0.001), and for pitavastatin (NAS 4.89 vs 1.99, p<0.001, FIB-4 3.78 vs 0.87, p<0.001). Conclusions : Atorvastatin, rosuvastatin and pitavastatin have a beneficial and safe effect in NAFLD/NASH patients as recorded by the improvement in the NAS (representing NAFLD activity) and FIB-4 (representing liver fibrosis) scores. Since both those with and without NAFLD/NASH shared several baseline characteristics, genetics may play a role in the pathogenesis of NAFLD/NASH and its treatment with statins.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 790
Author(s):  
Monica Lupsor-Platon ◽  
Teodora Serban ◽  
Alexandra Iulia Silion ◽  
George Razvan Tirpe ◽  
Alexandru Tirpe ◽  
...  

Global statistics show an increasing percentage of patients that develop non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and NAFLD-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), even in the absence of cirrhosis. In the present review, we analyzed the diagnostic performance of ultrasonography (US) in the non-invasive evaluation of NAFLD and NAFLD-related HCC, as well as possibilities of optimizing US diagnosis with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) assistance. To date, US is the first-line examination recommended in the screening of patients with clinical suspicion of NAFLD, as it is readily available and leads to a better disease-specific surveillance. However, the conventional US presents limitations that significantly hamper its applicability in quantifying NAFLD and accurately characterizing a given focal liver lesion (FLL). Ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs) are an essential add-on to the conventional B-mode US and to the Doppler US that further empower this method, allowing the evaluation of the enhancement properties and the vascular architecture of FLLs, in comparison to the background parenchyma. The current paper also explores the new universe of AI and the various implications of deep learning algorithms in the evaluation of NAFLD and NAFLD-related HCC through US methods, concluding that it could potentially be a game changer for patient care.


Metabolites ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 54
Author(s):  
Benjamin Buchard ◽  
Camille Teilhet ◽  
Natali Abeywickrama Samarakoon ◽  
Sylvie Massoulier ◽  
Juliette Joubert-Zakeyh ◽  
...  

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is considered as the forthcoming predominant cause for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). NAFLD-HCC may rise in non-cirrhotic livers in 40 to 50% of patients. The aim of this study was to identify different metabolic pathways of HCC according to fibrosis level (F0F1 vs. F3F4). A non-targeted metabolomics strategy was applied. We analyzed 52 pairs of human HCC and adjacent non-tumoral tissues which included 26 HCC developed in severe fibrosis or cirrhosis (F3F4) and 26 in no or mild fibrosis (F0F1). Tissue extracts were analyzed using 1H-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy. An optimization evolutionary method based on genetic algorithm was used to identify discriminant metabolites. We identified 34 metabolites differentiating the two groups of NAFLD-HCC according to fibrosis level, allowing us to propose two metabolomics phenotypes of NAFLD-HCC. We showed that HCC-F0F1 mainly overexpressed choline derivatives and glutamine, whereas HCC-F3F4 were characterized by a decreased content of monounsaturated fatty acids (FA), an increase of saturated FA and an accumulation of branched amino acids. Comparing HCC-F0F1 and HCC-F3F4, differential expression levels of glucose, choline derivatives and phosphoethanolamine, monounsaturated FA, triacylglycerides were identified as specific signatures. Our metabolomics analysis of HCC tissues revealed for the first time two phenotypes of HCC developed in NAFLD according to fibrosis level. This study highlighted the impact of the underlying liver disease on metabolic reprogramming of the tumor.


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