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Osteopontin in liver, adipose tissue, serum correlated with fibrosis in alcoholic liver disease patients

Levels of osteopontin increased in the liver, adipose tissue and serum of alcoholic patients with liver fibrosis, making it a new relevant biomarker for liver fibrosis, according to recent data.

The serum of retrospective (n=109) and prospective (n=95) groups of heavy alcohol drinkers was evaluated for osteopontin (OPN) levels. OPN also was measured in the livers of 34 patients in the retrospective group, and in the liver and adipose tissue from an additional group of 38 heavy alcohol drinkers.

Researchers found that serum levels of OPN increased slightly with hepatic inflammation and progressively with hepatic fibrosis severity. OPN expression in the liver correlated with hepatic inflammation, fibrosis, transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) expression, neutrophils accumulation and with serum OPN level.

“Interestingly, adipose tissue OPN expression also correlated with hepatic fibrosis even after 7 days of alcohol abstinence,” the researchers wrote. “The serum OPN levels also correlated with hepatic fibrosis … which suggested that its elevated level could be a general response to chronic liver injury.”