학술논문
Glutamate-Serine-Glycine Index: A Novel Potential Biomarker in Pediatric Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.
Document Type
Academic Journal
Author
Leonetti S; Department of Surgical, Medical and Molecular Pathology and Critical Care Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy.; Herzog RI; Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Endocrinology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA.; Caprio S; Department of Pediatrics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA.; Santoro N; Department of Pediatrics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA.; Department of Medicine and Health Sciences, 'V.Tiberio' University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, Italy.; Tricò D; Department of Surgical, Medical and Molecular Pathology and Critical Care Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy.
Source
Publisher: MDPI AG Country of Publication: Switzerland NLM ID: 101648936 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Print ISSN: 2227-9067 (Print) Linking ISSN: 22279067 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Children (Basel) Subsets: PubMed not MEDLINE
Subject
Language
English
ISSN
2227-9067
Abstract
Preliminary evidence suggests that the glutamate-serine-glycine (GSG) index, which combines three amino acids involved in glutathione synthesis, may be used as a potential biomarker of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We investigated whether the GSG index is associated with NAFLD in youth, independent of other risk factors. Intrahepatic fat content (HFF%) and abdominal fat distribution were measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in a multiethnic cohort of obese adolescents, including Caucasians, African Americans, and Hispanics. NAFLD was defined as HFF% ≥ 5.5%. Plasma amino acids were measured by mass spectrometry. The GSG index was calculated as glutamate/(serine + glycine). The GSG index was higher in NAFLD patients ( p = 0.03) and positively correlated with HFF% (r = 0.26, p = 0.02), alanine aminotransferase (r = 0.39, p = 0.0006), and aspartate aminotransferase (r = 0.26, p = 0.03). Adolescents with a high GSG index had a twofold higher prevalence of NAFLD than those with a low GSG index, despite similar adiposity, abdominal fat distribution, and liver insulin resistance. NAFLD prevalence remained significantly different between groups after adjustment for age, sex, race/ethnicity, and body mass index (OR 3.07, 95% confidence interval 1.09-8.61, p = 0.03). This study demonstrates the ability of the GSG index to detect NAFLD in at-risk pediatric populations with different genetically determined susceptibilities to intrahepatic fat accumulation, independent of traditional risk factors.