Plasma levels of PBEF/Nampt/visfatin are decreased in patients with liver cirrhosis

Liver cirrhosis is a catabolic disease associated with a high incidence of insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus. Pre-B cell colony-enhancing factor/ nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase/visfatin has been characterized as a novel adipokine with a potential role in glucose metabolism and nicotinamide dinucleotide (NAD) generation. We studied plasma levels and metabolic relevance of visfatin in 19 patients with cirrhosis and 19 body mass index-, age-, and sex-matched controls. In addition, hepatic mRNA expression was assessed by qPCR in livers of seven patients with cirrhosis and four controls. Circulating visfatin was 78% lower in cirrhotics (P < 0.001) and decreased with worsening of the clinical stage of liver disease. Hepatic visfatin secretion decreased with clinical stage (P < 0.05) and reduced liver function (P = 0.01). Consistent with these data, hepatic visfatin mRNA expression was significantly lower in cirrhotic livers (P < 0.05). Circulating visfatin in cirrhosis was correlated with body ce...