(P02-002-24) The Association of the Hepatic Steatosis Index With Pro/Anti-inflammatory Mediators in Adult Patients With NAFLD: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objectives: In this study, we examined the association between the hepatic steatosis index (HSI) and visceral fat while controlling for various potential covariates. Next, we plan to explore the correlation between serum Maresin-1 (MaR1) levels and a range of clinical parameters, such as inflammatory cytokines, adipokines, and BMI.

Methods: In this study data from 74 individuals diagnosed with NAFLD was used. After screening, patients aged between 22 and 80 years with a BMI of 20-55 kg/m² participated in the study. The HSI score was calculated in all patients using the following formula: 8× (ALT / AST) + BMI + 2 (if type 2 diabetes) + 2 (if female).  Partial correlation coefficients were employed for age- and sex-adjusted data. Linear regression analyses were conducted to explore the association between HSI and visceral fat. In the next step correlations between serum HSI and other clinical parameters were determined using either Pearson correlation or Spearman correlation test based on the distribution of the parameters. STATA software and GraphPad Prism were used for conducting all statistical analyses and generating graphical representations. Statistical significance was defined as a P value < 0.05.

Results: The initial findings of the study revealed a significant association between visceral fat and HSI (p=0.002). However, when examining the interaction between sex and visceral fat to HSI no significant association was observed (p=0.180). Additionally, we observed a correlation between HSI and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) (P=0.043).

Conclusions: In an adult population with NAFLD, HSI was significantly associated with visceral fat and GGT in a crude model. Moving forward, we plan to use liver fat data from MRI scans to construct various models to explore any potential links between MAR1 and inflammatory cytokines, which may serve as predictors of NAFLD severity.

Funding Sources: This work was supported by the United Soybean Board (funding reference number, 2411-108-0101).