Angiopoietin-like 8 (ANGPTL8) as a potential predictor of NAFLD in paediatric patients with Prader-Willi Syndrome

Purpose Angiopoietin-like 8 (ANGPTL8) is a liver- and adipose tissue-produced protein that predicts non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and altered metabolic homeostasis in the general population as well as in persons with common and genetic obesity, including the Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS). However, its metabolic correlate in paediatric patients with respect to PWS is unknown. Methods This cross-sectional study investigated circulating ANGPTL8 and adipocytokines levels in 28 PWS and 28 age-, sex- and BMI-matched children and adolescents (age, 7.0–17.8y) in relation to NAFLD and metabolic homeostasis assessed by OGTT, paediatric metabolic index (PMI) and fatty liver index (FLI), liver ultrasonography (US), as well as dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) for analysis of fat (FM) and fat-free mass (FFM). Results At the set level of significance, PWS children showed lower values of FFM (p p p Conclusion ANGPTL8 levels are similar in PWS and controls and, overall, they are directly associated with the presence and severity of NAFLD in patients with PWS.