Noboru Takata, Kiyo-Aki Ishii, Hiroaki Takayama, Mayumi Nagashimada, Kyoko Kamoshita, Takeo Tanaka, Akihiro Kikuchi, Yumie Takeshita, Yukako Matsumoto, Tsuguhito Ota, Yasuhiko Yamamoto, Satoshi Yamagoe, Akihiro Seki, Yoshio Sakai, Shuichi Kaneko, Toshinari Takamura
It remains unclear how hepatic steatosis links to inflammation. Leukocyte cell-derived chemotaxin 2 (LECT2) is a hepatokine that senses fat in the liver and is upregulated prior to weight gain. The aim of this study was to investigate the significance of LECT2 in the development of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). In human liver biopsy samples, elevated LECT2 mRNA levels were positively correlated with body mass index (BMI) and increased in patients who have steatosis and inflammation in the liver. LECT2 mRNA levels were also positively correlated with the mRNA levels of the inflammatory genes CCR2 and TLR4...
January 12, 2021: Scientific Reports