摘要

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), caused by a type of fatty liver without excessive alcohol intake, is characterized by steatosis, ballooning degeneration, and fatty retention of liver parenchyma cells. NAFLD's major spectrum includes nonalcoholic simple fatty liver (NAFL) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH); however, the relationship between NAFLD and the fat mass and obesity associated (FTO) gene are not fully understood. To address this, we collected clinical basic parameters of NAFLD and control patients, measured FTO expression levels in their serum and livers by using ELISA, qRT-PCR and Western blot, and analyzed the correlation of FTO expression levels to the clinical basic parameters. NAFLD more often occurs in middle-aged males, and the clinical basic parameters were significantly increased in NAFLD patients with the exception of HDL. The serum FTO expression level of the NAFLD patient group was significantly higher compared to the control group; however, within the NAFLD patient group, the expression level in the NASH group was significantly greater compared to the NAFL group, and was positively correlated to body mass index (BMI) in the NAFL group and total cholesterol in the NASH group. Similarly, the liver FTO expression level of the NAFLD patient group was significantly higher compared to the control group, and also significantly increased in the NASH group compared to the NAFL group. This study provides a significant reference for the study of FTO in NAFLD patients their treatment.