Role of serum adiponectin level in the development of liver cirrhosis in patients with hepatitis C virus

Adiponectin possesses anti-inflammatory and insulin-sensitizing properties. Little is known about the role of adiponectin in hepatitis-C-related liver disease. The aim of our study was to find a relationship between serum adiponectin levels and different grades of steatohepatitis in HCV-infected patients and to correlate it with the severity of liver disease. Sixty HCV-infected patients were divided into two groups according to the presence/absence of steatosis proofed by abdominal ultrasonography and liver biopsy was selected. We evaluated the biochemical parameters for all patients including: ALT, AST, total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, serum albumin, prothrombin time, CBC, lipid profile, fasting blood glucose, fasting insulin, and serum adiponectin; HOMA-IR was calculated as [fasting insulin (mIU/l) x fasting glucose (mmol/l)]/22.5. We found that adiponectin was significantly lower in HCV-infected patients with steatosis than in those without steatosis. BMI, fasting blood glucose and HOMA-IR were significantly higher in HCV-infected patients with steatosis than in those without steatosis. Furthermore, it was found that steatosis correlates directly with fibrosis index, BMI, HOMA-IR, fasting blood glucose and ALT. Serum adiponectin levels inversely correlates with the grade of steatosis, histological activity index and the stage of fibrosis.