Neopterin is a marker associated with cell‐mediated immunity. It is produced in monocytes/macrophages primarily upon stimulation with interferon‐γ. Due to its chemical structure, neopterin belongs to...

Objective. Chemerin and vaspin are new adipokines which may modulate inflammatory response and insulin sensitivity in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The aims of this study were to assess: (1) circulating levels of chemerin and vaspin and their association with liver histology and markers of liver injury in NAFLD patients; and (2) the relationship between the analyzed adipokines and insulin resistance. Material and methods. A total of 41 NAFLD patients with body mass index (BMI) 30.4 ± 3.3 kg/m² [20 with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and BMI 30.3 ± 3.3 kg/m² and 21 with simple steatosis/uncertain NASH (SS/UN) and BMI 30.5 ± 3.4 kg/m²] and 10 healthy volunteers with BMI 24.0 ± 2.9 kg/m² were included in the study. Results. Serum chemerin concentration was significantly higher in NAFLD patients compared to healthy volunteers (p = 0.009). Serum chemerin was significantly higher in patients with NASH compared to patients with SS/UN (p = 0.009). The homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) value was higher in patients with NASH than in patients with SS/UN (p = 0.01). Serum chemerin and HOMA-IR were positively associated with NAFLD activity score (r = 0.40, p = 0.02; and r = 0.43, p = 0.008, respectively). Serum chemerin was associated with hepatocyte ballooning degeneration (r = 0.37; p = 0.03), total cholesterol (r = 0.45; p = 0.008) and diastolic blood pressure (r = 0.41; p = 0.02). HOMA-IR was related to fibrosis stage (r = 0.51; p = 0.001) and inflammatory activity grade in portal tracts (r = 0.40; p = 0.01). Serum vaspin correlated with hepatocyte ballooning degeneration (r = 0.31; p = 0.04), alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase (r = 0.33, p = 0.03; and r = 0.32, p = 0.04, respectively) and diastolic blood pressure (r = 0.39, p = 0.01). Conclusions. This study shows for the first time that chemerin and vaspin serum concentrations are altered in patients with NAFLD. The analyzed adipokines appear to play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of NAFLD, not only as regulators of insulin sensitivity, but also as mediators of the inflammatory process.

The growing number of children with overweight and obesity constitutes a major health problem of the modern world and it has been suggested that intestinal microbiota may influence energy intake from food. The objectives of this study were to determine quantity and proportions of dominant genera of Bacteroides, Prevotella (phylum Bacteroidetes ); Clostridium , Lactobacillus (phylum Firmicutes ) and Bifidobacterium (phylum Actinobacteria ) in the intestines and to determine the content of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and branched-chain fatty acids (BCFAs) in the stool of 20 obese children and 20 children with normal body weight. Strains classified as Firmicutes ( Clostridium and Lactobacillus ) predominated in stool microbiota of obese children, while those of Bacteroidetes ( Prevotella and Bacteroides ) were in minority ( p < 0.001). Concentration of SCFAs in the stool of obese children was lower in comparison to the stool of normal weight children ( p = 0.04). However, these differences were significant only in obese children, not in overweight children in comparison with the lean ones. Therefore, in our study obesity was associated with intestinal dysbiosis and a predominance of phylum Firmicutes . Secondly, stool of obese children contained lower amounts of SCFAs.