Candidate proteomic biomarkers for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (steatosis and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis) discovered with mass-spectrometry: a systematic review

AbstractContext: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterized by lipid accumulation in the liver which is accompanied by a series of metabolic deregulations. There are sustained research efforts focusing upon biomarker discovery for NAFLD diagnosis and its prognosis in order investigate and follow-up patients as minimally invasive as possible.Objective: The objective of this study is to critically review proteomic studies that used mass spectrometry techniques and summarize relevant proteomic NAFLD candidate biomarkers.Methods: Medline and Embase databases were searched from inception to December 2014.Results: A final number of 22 records were included that identified 251 candidate proteomic biomarkers. Thirty-three biomarkers were confirmed – 14 were found in liver samples, 21 in serum samples, and two from both serum and liver samples.Conclusion: Some of the biomarkers identified have already been extensively studied regarding their diagnostic and prognostic capacity. However, there are al...