Perilipin-5 as a potential new biomarker in patients with liver disease and impaired De Ritis ratio

Purpose: Liver dysfunctions are one of the most prevalent and deadly diseases worldwide. The De Ritis ratio, which is obtained by proportioning serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), has been suggested to be a precious marker to assess the prognosis of liver diseases. This study was to investigate the relationship between perilipin 5 (PLIN5) levels and De Ritis ratio in patients with liver disease. Materials and Methods: There were 3 groups: control (Group1; n=20), hepatic patients with normal De Ritis ratio (Group2; n=35) and hepatic patients with impaired De Ritis ratio (Group3; n=35). De Ritis rates of all patients were determined according to the serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST)/serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) results. Additionally, PLIN5 was spectrophotometrically analyzed from serum samples. Results: There is no significant difference between the groups in terms of age and gender. PLIN5 levels increased by 2.6 and 3.8 times in Group2 and Group3, respectively. De Ritis ratio was significantly increased in the Group3 compared the control, and enhanced PLIN5 levels was correlated with De Ritis ratio in the Group3. There was a significant positive correlation between De Ritis ratio and PLIN5 levels. Conclusion: PLIN5 levels together with De Ritis rate in liver patients may be used as a prognostic marker. Furthermore, this relationship could be a useful method in the follow-up of liver diseases.