Application of adiponectin, TNF-α and ferrtin in type 2 diabetes with intrahepatic lipid infiltration

The aim of this study was to find and establish the serum marker which can reflect the degree of intrahepatic lipid infiltration in Type 2 diabetes patients and assess the therapeutic effect. It helps us to observe the improvement of intrahepatic lipid deposit under controlled serum glucose metabolism. Twenty-three Type 2 diabetes patients with obvious intrahepatic lipid infiltration diagnosed by CT scan were divided into two groups, one group took rosiglitazone orally (male: female 5:6), and the combined treatment group took rosiglitazone and metformin simultaneously (male: female 6:6), in daily therapeutic dose of 4 mg rosiglitazone and 2 g metformin for 24 weeks. Before and after treatment, we measured fasting serum glucose, glycated hemoglobin (GHb), insulin, insulin resistant index, plasma adiponectin, leptin, tumor necrotic factor α (TNF-α), ferrtin respectively. After the treatment, fasting serum glucose and GHb decreased obvious, especially the combined treatment group. Intrahepatic lipid content percent decreased, too, in both groups (the rosiglitazone group: 43.3±25.8 vs 29.1±18.7, P<0.01, the combined group: 43.4±21.8 vs 22.0±16.7, P<0.01). Plasma adiponectin and TNF-α had correlation to intrahepatic lipid contend percent change. Plasma adiponectin and TNF-α was obviously improved in the rosiglitazone group and the combined treatment group (Adiponectin: 11.96±7.3 vs 20.61±12.0 ng/mL, 12.76±6.7 vs 25.81±12.8 ng/mL; TNFα: 6.92±2.5 vs 5.89±1.9 pg/mL, 6.81±2.14 vs 5.45±2.0 pg/mL; P<0.01). In addition, serum ferrtin concentration decreased obviously, especially the combined treatment group (rosiglitazone group: 345±116 vs 288±71ng/mL, P<0.05, combined treatment group: 362±194 vs 258±109 ng/mL, P<0.01). It can be concluded that 1) rosiglitazone and metformin controls serum glucose metabolism and improves intrahepatic lipid infiltration by especially the combined treatment, 2) plasma adiponectic and TNF-α are effective markers to reflect intrahepatic lipid infiltration, and they correlate to degree of intrahepatic lipid infiltration and achieve therapeutic effect, and 3) serum ferrtin reflects degree of intrahepatic lipid infiltration. The method is conveniently applicable, for curing the disease and monitoring the degree of intrahepatic lipid infiltration. (authors)