Estimation the Change in Liver Fibrosis Stage with Serial Measurement of Wisteria Floribunda Agglutinin-Positive Mac-2 Binding Protein in Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease Patients

TL;DR

This study shows that changes in WFA+-M2BP levels in blood can track liver fibrosis progression or improvement in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated liver disease.

Contribution

The study demonstrates that WFA+-M2BP is a reliable non-invasive marker for tracking liver fibrosis changes over time in MASLD patients.

Findings

ΔWFA+-M2BP levels significantly correlated with liver fibrosis stage changes (p < 0.01).

ΔWFA+-M2BP was a significant predictor of fibrosis regression in multivariate analysis (odds ratio: 3.54).

Other non-invasive fibrosis markers did not reflect fibrosis stage changes.

Abstract

Assessment of liver fibrosis stage is important in the management of patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). However, non-invasive methods to determine the changes in liver fibrosis stage are unknown. We investigated whether Wisteria floribunda agglutinin-positive human Mac-2 binding protein (WFA+-M2BP), a serum fibrosis marker, can evaluate the changes in liver fibrosis stage. We observed the course of liver fibrosis stage and five serum fibrosis markers of 196 MASLD patients who had a paired biopsy performed. The changes in fibrosis markers, including WFA+-M2BP, were compared according to the changes in fibrosis stage. Factors associated with improvement of fibrosis stage were examined in a multivariate analysis. The changes in WFA+-M2BP (ΔWFA+-M2BP) were significantly correlated with changes in fibrosis stage (p < 0.01). The median of ΔWFA+-M2BP was −0.21, −0.08, −0.04, and 0.19 in 2 fibrosis stage regression group, 1 fibrosis stage regression group, fibrosis stage unchanged group, and fibrosis stage progression group, respectively (p < 0.01). However, other non-invasive markers did not reflect changes in fibrosis. ΔWFA+-M2BP was a significant factor for the regression of liver fibrosis stage in multivariate analysis (odds ratio: 3.54, 95% confidence interval: 1.55–8.12, p < 0.01). Time-course changes in WFA+-M2BP levels indicate the changes in liver fibrosis.

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