Table 3.
Circulating levels of choline and its byproducts, betaine, ethanol, soluble TLR4, and primary and secondary bile acids in the obese group with liver histology
| Variable | NL (n = 29) | SS (n = 32) | NASH (n = 21) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Choline (µM) | 15.85 (12.61–23.86) | 20.85 (11.59–24.24) | 21.30 (16.13–24.38) | 0.418 |
| TMA (nM) | 31.68 (25.70–45.11) | 40.45 (26.07–67.19) | 46.84 (23.38–74.63) | 0.341 |
| TMAO (µM) | 1.95 (1.03–2.90) | 2.93 (1.84–5.95)b | 2.48 (1.79–4.65) | 0.031a |
| Betaine (µM) | 25.63 (21.57–32.73) | 26.05 (22.59–35.78) | 27.57 (20.81–36.39) | 0.866 |
| Ethanol (ng/µl) | 2.00 (0.53–6.13) | 1.80 (0.81–3.73) | 3.44 (2.31–9.80)c | 0.133 |
| TLR4 (ng/ml) | 2.62 (1.83–3.05) | 2.09 (1.18–3.26) | 2.69 (1.67–3.56) | 0.674 |
| Short-chain fatty acids | ||||
| Acetate (µM) | 33.53 (20.90–50.67) | 22.09 (13.00–34.87) | 35.42 (14.26–48.02) | 0.249 |
| Propionate (µM) | 2.65 (1.46–4.62) | 2.69 (1.24–3.75) | 3.08 (1.30–3.91) | 0.702 |
| Isobutyrate (µM) | 0.33 (0.26–0.42) | 0.32 (0.26–0.46) | 0.34 (0.28–0.43) | 0.983 |
| Butyrate (µM) | 0.58 (0.49–0.80) | 0.69 (0.49–0.87) | 0.63 (0.49–0.99) | 0.625 |
| Isovalerate (µM) | 0.14 (0.08–0.20) | 0.13 (0.08–0.21) | 0.15 (0.08–0.20) | 0.883 |
| Primary bile acids | ||||
| CDCA (nM) | 29.91 (14.61–88.59) | 48.20 (29.82–167.82) | 25.76 (1375–177.88) | 0.229 |
| CA (nM) | 21.60 (12.22–83.10) | 40.90 (14.89–114.82) | 30.49 (14.07–80.88) | 0.431 |
| GCDCA (nM) | 126.88 (79.10–283.23) | 154.86 (78.82–317.01) | 111.07 (58.80–221.22) | 0.559 |
| GCA (nM) | 50.33 (30.40–82.39) | 95.83 (42.61–156.34)b | 65.99 (47.62–99.10) | 0.036a |
| TCA (nM) | 10.09 (6.49–18.27) | 16.86 (7.11–32.17) | 9.61 (5.96–26.94) | 0.375 |
| TCDCA (nM) | 52.36 (27.40–86.68) | 47.13 (27.36–102.27) | 37.17 (18.32–90.24) | 0.784 |
| Secondary bile acids | ||||
| DCA (nM) | 66.18 (34.75–109.96) | 150.92 (76.61–302.18)b | 114.98 (45.39–252.32) | 0.014a |
| GDCA (nM) | 40.10 (23.27–54.63) | 58.21 (30.48–130.76) | 39.55 (21.15–89.90) | 0.158 |
| LCA (nM) | 13.81 (8.32–16.52) | 12.78 (7.86–16.17) | 16.43 (10.45–25.26) | 0.247 |
| UDCA (nM) | 23.12 (8.72–83.45) | 32.98 (25.08–63.92) | 23.67 (8.39–86.97) | 0.556 |
| TLCA (nM) | 1.16 (0.72–1.94) | 1.22 (0.80–2.39) | 1.21 (0.87–2.39) | 0.872 |
| TDCA (nM) | 7.49 (4.53–23.46) | 11.30 (6.54–34.10) | 11.17 (4.53–29.85) | 0.589 |
| TUDCA (nM) | 2.68 (1.79–7.63) | 3.67 (1.86–4.71) | 2.85 (1.42–5.72) | 0.775 |
| GLCA (nM) | 15.94 (11.02–35.64) | 22.52 (13.59–32.24) | 24.60 (13.78–47.71) | 0.557 |
| GUDCA (nM) | 242.11 (102.34–996.81) | 389.49 (160.74–651.31) | 201.64 (49.33–404.44) | 0.328 |
Data are expressed as the median (25th–75th percentile). p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant
TMA trimethylamine, TMAO trimethylamine N-oxide, TLR4 toll-like receptor 4, CDCA chenodeoxycholic acid, CA cholic acid, GCDCA glycochenodeoxycholic acid, GCA glycocholic acid, TCA taurocholic acid, TCDCA taurochenodeoxycholic acid, DCA deoxycholic acid, GDCA glycodeoxycholic acid, LCA lithocholic acid, UDCA ursodeoxycholic acid, TLCA taurolithocholic acid, TDCA taurodeoxycholic acid, TUDCA tauroursodeoxycholic acid, GLCA glycolithocholic acid, GUDCA glycoursodeoxycholic acid
aNL vs NAFLD: TMAO (p = 0.013), GCA (p = 0.022), DCA (p = 0.006)
bNL vs SS: TMAO (p = 0.009), GCA (p = 0.016), DCA (p = 0.004)
cSS vs NASH: ethanol (p = 0.045)