Correlation analysis between serum neuregulin 4 level and metabolic associated fatty liver disease in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus
HUA Hui
WANG Renjie
ZHU Chaoyu
Abstract：Objective To investigate the serum neuregulin 4(Nrg4)levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)complicated by metabolic-associated fatty liver disease(MAFLD)and their correlation with relevant metabolic parameters.Methods A total of 148 T2DM patients,including 78 combined with MAFLD and 70 without MAFLD,were selected from inpatients between April 2021 and July 2022.The average age of the patients was(60.59±10.31)years,and all of them met the diagnostic criteria for T2DM according WHO guidelines.General information was recorded,and relevant metabolic indicators,including liver and kidney function,blood lipids,blood glucose,and insulin,were measured.Additionally,the homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance(HOMA-IR)and the homeostasis model assessment ofβ-cell function(HOMA-β)were calculated.Ultrasound was used to detect fatty liver,and serum Nrg4 levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Results In the inpatients with T2DM,the serum Nrg4 concentration in the MAFLD group(0.693[0.403,1.127]ng/ml)was significantly lower than that in the non-MAFLD group(1.202[0.726,1.737]ng/ml)(P＜0.001).Spearman correlation analysis revealed a positive correlation between serum Nrg4 and age,while a negative correlation was observed with waist circumference,alanine transaminase(ALT),and ALT/aspartate transaminase(AST)(r=-0.172、-0.226、-0.279,P＜0.05).Univariate logistic regression analysis indicated that,compared to patients in the first quartile of serum Nrg4,those in the fourth quartile had an 84.3％lower risk of MAFLD(OR=0.157,95％CI:0.057-0.431,P＜0.001).After adjusting for sex,age,blood pressure,smoking history,alcohol consumption history,diabetes duration,body mass index(BMI),waist circumference,ALT/AST ratio,renal function,blood lipids,blood glucose,and HOMA index,serum Nrg4 levels remained an independent protective factor for MAFLD in T2DM patients(OR=0.134,95％CI:0.028-0.635,P=0.011).Conclusion Serum Nrg4 levels are significantly reduced in T2DM patients with MAFLD.As serum Nrg4 levels increase,the prevalence of MAFLD significantly decreases.Even after adjusting for confounding factors,serum Nrg4 remains an independent protective factor,suggesting that serum Nrg4 levels may influence the development of MAFLD.
Keywords：type 2 diabetes mellitusneuregulin 4metabolic associated fatty liver disease
Publication Date：2025-05-26
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：6( 734-738,744 )