Association of circulating adipsin with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in obese adults: a cross-sectional study

Background As a secreted adipokine, adipsin has been recently shown to play a pivotal role in metabolic disorders. However, information regarding the association of circulating adipsin with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in humans is scant. Methods We recruited 1163 obese adult subjects with waist circumference at least 90 cm in men and 80 cm in women from the community. Circulating adipsin levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results Circulating adipsin levels of NAFLD subjects was decreased compared to those in non-NAFLD (p p p p Conclusions These results demonstrate that circulating adipsin levels in Chinese obese adults are negatively associated with risk of NAFLD, implying that serum adipsin levels may be a potential protective factor in NAFLD.