Serum Visfatin Levels in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Liver Fibrosis: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

(1) Background: Recently, adipokines, including visfatin, have been studied in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Several studies evaluated visfatin levels in NAFLD, the presence and severity of hepatic steatosis, liver fibrosis, lobar inflammation, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and gender differences. However, inconclusive results have been reported. Accordingly, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis, aiming to address these gaps in evidence. (2) Methods: We performed a systematic electronic search on PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library using predefined keywords. Diagnosis of NAFLD by liver biopsy or imagistic investigations was accepted. Full articles satisfying our inclusion and exclusion criteria were included. NHLBI quality assessment tools were used to evaluate included studies. The principal summary outcome was the mean difference in visfatin levels. (3) Results: There were 21 studies involving 1923 individuals included in our qualitative assessment, while 14 studies were included in the quantitative assessment. No statistical significance was found assessing visfatin levels in NAFLD [3.361 (95% CI -0.175-6.897)], simple steatosis [7.523 (95% CI -16.221-31.267)], hepatic steatosis severity [-0.279 (95% CI -1.843-1.285)], liver fibrosis [4.133 (95% CI -3.176-11.443)], lobar inflammation [0.358 (95% CI -1.470-2.185)], NASH [-2.038 (95% CI -6.839-2.763)], and gender [(95% CI -0.554-0.556)]. (4) Conclusions: In conclusion, visfatin levels are not associated with NAFLD, presence or severity of hepatic steatosis, liver fibrosis, lobar inflammation, NASH, and gender. However, due to the limited methodological quality of the included studies, results should be interpreted with caution.

Automated summary

After analyzing the role of visfatin in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, it was found that visfatin levels are not associated with NAFLD, presence or severity of hepatic steatosis, liver fibrosis, lobar inflammation, NASH, and gender.