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De Novo Lipogenesis in Severity of NAFLD

Contribution of De Novo Lipogenesis in Severity of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Status
Completed
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Observational
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT03683589
Enrollment
49
Registered
2018-09-25
Start date
2019-02-01
Completion date
2020-07-31
Last updated
2024-12-19

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Bariatric Surgery Candidate, Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis, Obesity, Morbid

Brief summary

NAFLD is the most prevalent liver disease in the U.S., and there is a serious need to understand its progression to the advanced state, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Previous studies has shown that elevated de novo lipogenesis (DNL) is the unique, early event distinguishing patients with NAFLD from equally-obese subjects with low IHTG. The purpose of this study is to directly by measure DNL in human liver tissue and comparing it to liver histological scores from patient biopsies.

Detailed description

The development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) progresses from a state of elevated intrahepatic triglycerides (IHTG) to liver inflammation, and ultimately, hepatic apoptosis and fibrosis. NAFLD is the most prevalent liver disease in the U.S., and there is a serious need to understand its progression to the advanced state, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Elevated de novo lipogenesis (DNL) is the unique, early event distinguishing patients with NAFLD from equally-obese participants with low IHTG. DNL is the process of liver synthesis of fatty acids (FAs) from carbohydrate. In humans, studies have shown that DNL significantly predicts the magnitude of IHTG, however, it is unknown whether the pathway plays a role in disease progression. Evidence supporting this concept includes the fact that the primary product of DNL is the saturated FA, palmitate, which in cell culture has been shown to significantly contribute to oxidative stress and inflammation. Recent rodent data show that upregulation of DNL through dietary supplementation of sucrose exacerbated the hepatotoxic effects of excess dietary FAs. A preliminary abstract presented by others at the 2017 Liver Meeting suggested that DNL may not be different between patients with low and high liver fibrosis, although these data were collected using an indirect measure of liver disease. Here, in the present study, the hypothesis will be tested directly by measuring DNL in human liver tissue and comparing it to liver histological scores (NAFLD Activity Score, NAS) from patient samples.

Interventions

None listed

Sponsors

American Society for Nutrition
CollaboratorOTHER
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
CollaboratorNIH
University of Missouri-Columbia
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Observational model
COHORT
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
22 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion and

Exclusion criteria

are similar to the criteria set by a larger project (NCT03151798). Inclusion criteria: * Men and women (pre and post-menopausal) * Overweight/obese with BMI ≥ 25.9 or ≤ 50.0 kg/m2 * Characteristics of the metabolic syndrome, pre-diabetes (fasting glucose 100-125 mg/dL or 2h glucose 140-200 mg/dL) or diabetes type II * 22-65 years of age * use of tobacco products or no use of these products * Sedentary, ≤ 60 minutes per week of structured physical activity

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
De novo lipogenesisDec 2019DNL will be measured directly in the liver biopsies

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Histological scores (NAFLD activity score)Dec 2019Tissue histology will be performed to obtain NAFLD activity score (NAS). A pathologist, trained in determining the NAS of histological samples, grades them for the quantity of fat present, and the levels of inflammation and fibrosis. A score of 0 is considered completely healthy (devoid of any of these three characteristics), while a score of 8 indicates severe pathology, advanced as far as cirrhosis.
Liver enzymesDec 2019AST and ALT will be measured on the day when liver biopsy is collected
FibroScanDec 2019Liver fat and fibrosis will also be measured non-invasively via FibroScan TM

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 10, 2026