Increased soluble CD36 is linked to advanced steatosis in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Background Soluble CD36 (sCD36) clusters with insulin resistance, but no evidence exists on its relationship with hepatic fat content. We determined sCD36 to assess its link to steatosis in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients. Materials and methods Two hundred and twenty‐seven NAFLD, eighty‐seven CHC, and eighty‐five patients with histologically normal liver (NL) were studied. Steatosis was graded by Kleiner's histological scoring system. Serum sCD36 and hepatic CD36 expression was assessed by immunoassay and immunohistochemistry, respectively. Results In NAFLD, serum sCD36 levels were significantly higher in simple steatosis than in NL (361·4 ± 286·4 vs. 173·9 ± 137·4 pg/mL, respectively; P