Level of Pro- and Anti-inflammatory Cytokines In Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Egyptian Patients

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) is a cytokine involved in systemic inflammation and is a member of a group of cytokines that stimulate the acute phase reaction. The aim of the present study was to study the role of pro-inflammatory cytokine (TNF-α) and antiinflammatory cytokine (IL-10) in development of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), and its progression from simple steatosis to Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) and fibrosis in Egyptian patients. The subjects were 52 diabetic patients, aged between 35-69 years compared to 18 healthy controls. Based on clinical diagnosis and investigations patients were divided into the following groups. Group 1: included 26 patients having simple steatosis, Group 2 (NASH): included 16 patients having NASH and Group 3: included 10 patients having Fibrosis. Serum liver function tests, fasting blood glucose, lipid profile, TNF and IL-10 were determined. Level of TNF-α was significantly higher in NAFLD patients compared to controls. The comparative study of the three groups showed that the severity of steatosis is correlated with increasing the level of TNF-α. There were positive correlation between TNF and BMI, FBS and CVD. IL-10 serum levels in NAFLD patients were significantly lower in comparison to controls. The comparative study of the three groups showed that the severity of steatosis is correlated with the deficiency in the level of IL-10. There were positive correlation between IL-10 and HDL. In Conclusion, there is a prominent imbalance between the level of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α) & anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-10) in patients with NAFLD, and this imbalance increase by increasing the progression of the disease. Keywordspro-inflammatory – anti-inflammatory – cytokine – TNF-α – IL-10 – NAFLD – Simple Steatosis .