IGFBPs in chronic liver diseases: Are they potential biomarkers?

Introduction and objectives

Liver diseases are caused by alcohol consumption, Hepatitis C virus, and metabolic dysfunction. There are few studies on insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs), also IGFBP-1 being involved in regulating glucose and lipid metabolism but its relation with liver diseases has not been fully clarified yet. To evaluate serum levels of IGFBPs 1,2,3 and 7 in subjects with alcoholic liver cirrhosis, alcoholic hepatitis, chronic hepatitis C, and Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease.

Materials and patients

Prospective, cross-sectional, and multicenter study; approved by the research and ethics commission at UNAM, and the Hospital General de México, which included subjects with clinical and biochemical data of alcohol-related liver damage, defining two groups: alcoholic liver cirrhosis (OHCi) and alcoholic hepatitis (AH). Another group with Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD). The last group was defined with a diagnosis of chronic hepatitis C (HepC). FibroScan Testing, and/or Fibrotest were realized. All study groups were compared with healthy subjects called the control group (CT). IGFBPs were quantified in serum using a multiplex suspension array. The data were analyzed and compared between groups. For statistical analysis, Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests were used.

Results

The serum concentrations of IGFBPs 1, 2, and 7 in Hepatitis C were elevated compared to all groups. In the case of HA, IGFBP-2, 3, and 7 decreased compared to the CT group, while IGFBP-1 was higher compared to CT. For IGFBP-3, all groups were decreased compared to the CT group. In the MASLD and CiOH groups, low concentrations of IGFBPs 1, 2, 3, and 7 were observed when compared with HepC, AH, and CT groups.

Conclusions

The serum levels of IGFBPs highlight have the relevance in the diverse liver diseases, it's evident in Hepatitis C are synthesized in higher concentration, while in MASLD and alcohol-related liver disease the concentration is lower, these proteins can be used as differential serum markers in liver diseases. It's necessary to conduct studies that would allow us to find new mechanisms involved in lipid metabolism and its relationship with liver disease.

Ethical statement: The protocol was approved by the Ethics and Research Committees of the “Dr. Eduardo Liceaga” General Hospital of Mexico (HG/DI/16/107/03/082), and the Faculty of Medicine of UNAM (FMD/DI/15/2015).

Declaration of interests: None.

Funding: This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.