Quantification of Microsomal Triglyceride Transfer Protein in Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Patients: A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is one of the common liver disease characterised by fat accumulation in hepatocytes. NAFLD is a broad spectrum of simple steatosis, Non Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH), cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Triglycerides (TG) are exported in the form of Very Low Density Lipoprotein (VLDL). VLDL are formed by incorporation of TG into apo-B by Microsomal Triglyceride transfer Protein (MTP). Therefore, MTP is a key protein for lipid transport. Estimation of MTP protein levels and its correlation with simple steatosis and steatohepatitis can be helpful in understanding its role in NAFLD progression. Aim: To estimate the serum levels of MTP in simple steatosis and steatohepatitis and also to check its correlation with TG and VLDL in NAFLD patients with and without co-morbidities. Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional study was carried out in Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, Sri Devaraj Urs Academy of Higher Education and Research, Kolar, Karnataka, India, between November 2019 to January 2021. Study participants included 60 NAFLD subjects which were divided into simple steatosis (group 1, n=10) and steatohepatitis (group 2, n=50). These subjects were further subdivided into cases with co-morbidities and cases without co-morbidities. Serum levels of MTP, high sensitivity C Reactive Protein (hsCRP), Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS), liver enzymes, lipid profile were assessed. Statistical analysis was done by using unpaired Student’s t-test and Pearson’s correlation. Results: The mean age was 46.5 years in steatosis group and 48.85 years in steatohepatitis group. In steatosis group, there were 5 (50%) males and 5 (50%) females, whereas in steatohepatitis group 32 (64%) were females and 18 (36%) were males. The serum levels of MTP were significantly decreased in simple steatosis cases with co-morbidities as compared to cases without co-morbidities (p=0.006). A significant negative correlation was observed between MTP v/s TG and MTP v/s VLDL (r=-0.665, p=0.036) in simple steatosis cases with and without co-morbidities. Same trend was observed in steatohepatitis cases but the correlation was insignificant (r=-0.08, p=0.563). Conclusion: The serum levels of MTP decreases as the NAFLD progresses. A significant decrease in serum levels of MTP was also observed in cases with co-morbidities as compared to cases without co-morbidities. Serum levels of MTP showed negative correlation with TG