RESUMEN
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a complex disease ranging from steatosis to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Galectin-3 (Gal-3), which is a ß-galactoside binding protein, has been associated with liver fibrosis, but its role in NAFLD remains elusive. We investigated the expression of Gal-3 in liver resident cells and its potential association with liver damage in 40 children with biopsy-proven NAFLD. We found that several liver cells expressed Gal-3. The number of total Gal-3 positive cells decreased with the severity of disease and the cells were correlated with the presence of steatosis and the diagnosis of NASH. CD68 macrophages expressed Gal-3 but the number CD68/Gal-3 positive cells was significantly reduced in patients diagnosed with steatosis and NASH. Triple CD68/CD206/Gal-3, which represented the subpopulation of M2 macrophages, were mainly present in patients without NASH, and clearly reduced in patients with steatosis and NASH. On the contrary, the number of α-smooth muscle actin (SMA)/Gal-3 positive cells increased with the severity of fibrosis in children with NAFLD. Our data demonstrated that the number of Gal-3 positive cells was associated with tissue damage in different ways, which suggests a dual role of this protein in the pathogenesis of pediatric NAFLD, even if the role of Gal-3 deserves further studies.
Asunto(s)
Galectina 3/metabolismo , Hepatocitos/metabolismo , Enfermedad del Hígado Graso no Alcohólico/diagnóstico , Enfermedad del Hígado Graso no Alcohólico/metabolismo , Adolescente , Factores de Edad , Antígenos CD/metabolismo , Antígenos de Diferenciación Mielomonocítica/metabolismo , Conductos Biliares/metabolismo , Biomarcadores , Biopsia , Proteínas Sanguíneas , Niño , Femenino , Galectinas , Humanos , Cirrosis Hepática/etiología , Cirrosis Hepática/patología , Pruebas de Función Hepática , Macrófagos/inmunología , Macrófagos/metabolismo , Macrófagos/patología , Masculino , Enfermedad del Hígado Graso no Alcohólico/etiología , Pronóstico , Índice de Severidad de la EnfermedadRESUMEN
In the last three decades prevalence of insulin related diseases has been growing worldwide with epidemic obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus and non alcoholic fatty liver disease. In children such epidemics are particularly worrisome, since metabolic abnormalities track to the adulthood with significant implications for the health care system. Epidemiological studies support a close association between type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease. We review the most recent epidemiological data on prevalence of both diseases in youth and their association.