Abstract:

[Abstract] Objective  To investigate serum thymosin β4 (Tβ4) levels in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)，and to explore the correlation between Tβ4 and serum biochemical parameters. Methods The serum Tβ4 level and biochemical parameters were detected in 40 putients with NAFLD. In addition, the levels of serum Tβ4 and biochemical parameters were detected before and after treatment with silibinin or polyene phosphatidylcholine in 26 NAFLD patients. The receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analyses for ALT and Tβ4 level were performed and cut-off value was determined. Results  Compared with the healthy control group, serum Tβ4 levels were significantly lower in patients with NAFLD (P＜ 0.01). There was a negative correlation between serum Tβ4 and ALT in patients with NAFLD（r=-0.330，P＜0.05). The serum level of Tβ4 was significantly increased after treatment in 26 NAFLD patients (P＜0.01). There were significant differences in levels of TG，ALT，ASTm，GGT，TBIL，ALP，ALB and FPG between NAFLD group and healthy control group (P＜0.05 or P＜ 0.01). After treatment, the levels of TG，ALT，ASTm，GGT，TBIL，ALP，ALB and FPG improved in patients with NAFLD (P＜ 0.05 or P＜0.01). AUC of serum Tβ4 was 0.906 with 4.830 5 mg /L cut off value. Its sensitivity was 85% and specificity was 80%, which were higher than those of ALT. Conclusion  The serum levels of Tβ4 were significantly lower in NAFLD patients than those of healthy control. And the level of serum Tβ4 was significantly increased after treatment in NAFLD patients. The serum level of Tβ4 was a more sensitive index than ALT for patients with NAFLD.

Key words: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, Thymosin β4, Regeneration, Oxidative Stress, NF–κB