Evaluation of serum and salivary subfatin and asprosin hormone levels in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatisis

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a metabolic disease characterized by liver steatosis. There is a correlation between liver steatosis and metabolic hormone dysregulation. Subfatin and asprosin are two important metabolic components of adipose tissue and play a role in carbohydrate metabolism, insulin resistance, and glucose regulation. Therefore, the primary aims of this study were to determine how serum and salivary subfatin and asprosin levels change simultaneously in samples obtained from patients with NASH; to compare these levels with those in control cases; and to determine whether there is any correlation of these levels with other metabolic parameters, such as high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL). Ninety-seven patients with NASH with a previous histopathological diagnosis and 30 healthy volunteers with no known disease (control group) were included in the study. The patients were classified under four stages: stage 1 (n = 30), stage 2 (n = 30), stage 3 (n = 22), and stage 4 (n = 15); 5 cc blood and 1 cc saliva were collected from the patients. Subfatin and asprosin levels in biological samples were studied using ELISA method. Other biochemical parameters (FBS, HbA1C, LDL, HDL, total cholesterol, triglyceride, AST, ALT, insulin, urea, creatinine, and uric acid) were studied using autoanalyzers. Furthermore, gender, age, blood pressure, and BMI values were recorded. These parameters were compared between the two groups. The median age and BMI of obese patients were significantly higher in the patient group than in the control group (P < 0.05). HbA1C and glucose, insulin, LDL, total cholesterol, triglyceride, AST, ALT, urea, and uric acid levels were significantly higher and HDL levels were significantly lower in the patient group than in the control group (P < 0.05). Serum and salivary asprosin levels of the patient group were significantly lower than those of the control group (P < 0.05). Serum and salivary subfatin levels were lower in the patient group than in the control group; however, the difference was not significant (P > 0.05). On the basis of the study results, we concluded that subfatin and asprosin levels are lower in patients with NASH than in healthy subjects. In addition to serum, subfatin and asprosin are present in saliva. Both blood and saliva are thought to be the sources of subfatin and asprosin in saliva. Therefore, subfatin and asprosin are indicators of metabolic events (including NASH), and their presence in the saliva constitutes an important alternative to blood as the collection of saliva is noninvasive. Key words: Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, subfatin, asprosin