ArticleNutrition & diabetes2021
Growth differentiation factor-15 and the association between type 2 diabetes and liver fibrosis in NAFLD.
Article in Nutrition & diabetes, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers.
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Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 32 citations in OpenAlex.
- Dysregulation of Subcutaneous White Adipose Tissue Inflammatory Environment Modelling in Non-Insulin Resistant Obesity and Responses to Omega-3 Fatty Acids - A Double Blind, Randomised Clinical Trial.Frontiers in immunology · 2022Trial
- Growth Differentiation Factor 15 and Histology-Defined Steatohepatitis and Fibrosis in Severe Obesity Undergoing Bariatric Surgery.Obesity surgery · 2026Observational
- Growth differentiation factor-15 and the incidence, bidirectional progression, and risk prediction of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease in individuals with cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome stages 0-3.Cardiovascular diabetology · 2026Article
- Growth differentiation factor 15 mitigates lipotoxic steatosis by preserving mitochondrial morphodynamics and augmenting fatty acid oxidation in hepatocytes and liver organoids.Diabetes, obesity & metabolism · 2026Article
- Circulating GDF15 and HbA1c Response to Add-On Exenatide Therapy in Type 2 Diabetes: A Post Hoc Analysis from a Multicenter Trial.Biomedicines · 2026Article
- Biological aging across the metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease spectrum: A systematic review.iLIVER · 2026Review
- Hepatic Steatosis and Stiffness in Adolescent Obesity Are Linked to Androgenemia, Insulin Sensitivity, and Inflammation.Hormone research in paediatrics · 2026Article
- Alcohol-related hepatitis induces a specific fibrosis profile through YAP activation in myofibroblasts.JHEP reports : innovation in hepatology · 2025Article
- Growth differentiation factor-15 as a non-invasive biomarker of liver fibrosis in sickle cell disease.International journal of hematology · 2025Article
- The Intriguing Roles of Cytokines in Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease: A Narrative Review.Current obesity reports · 2025Review
- Plasma biomarkers for monitoring muscle function and physical performance decline in older adults: A 2-year longitudinal study.The journal of nutrition, health & aging · 2025Article
- Levels of Growth Differentiation Factor 15 Correlated with Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease in Children.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Observational
- Disease-Specific Novel Role of Growth Differentiation Factor 15 in Organ Fibrosis.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Pathophysiology and emerging biomarkers of cardiovascular-renal-hepato-metabolic syndrome.Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine · 2025Review
- Therapeutic strategies to modulate gut microbial health: Approaches for sarcopenia management.Histology and histopathology · 2024Review
- Association of metabolic-dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease with polycystic ovary syndrome.iScience · 2024Review
- Thrombospondin-2 as a potential noninvasive biomarker of hepatocyte injury but not liver fibrosis in children with MAFLD: A preliminary study.Clinical and experimental hepatology · 2023Article
- Laboratory medicine in pandemic of COVID-19.Biochemia medica · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 3 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundType 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a strong risk factor for liver fibrosis in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). It remains uncertain why T2DM increases the risk of liver fibrosis. It has been suggested that growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) concentrations increase the risk of liver fibrosis. We aimed to investigate (a) whether GDF-15 concentrations were associated with liver fibrosis and involved in the relationship between T2DM and liver fibrosis and (b) what factors linked with T2DM are associated with increased GDF-15 concentrations.
methodsNinety-nine patients with NAFLD (61% men, 42.4% T2DM) were studied. Serum GDF-15 concentrations were measured by electro-chemiluminescence immunoassay. Vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE)-validated thresholds were used to assess liver fibrosis. Regression modelling, receiver operator characteristic curve analysis and Sobel test statistics were used to test associations, risk predictors and the involvement of GDF-15 in the relationship between T2DM and liver fibrosis, respectively.
resultsPatients with NAFLD and T2DM (n = 42) had higher serum GDF-15 concentrations [mean (SD): 1271.0 (902.1) vs. 640.3 (332.5) pg/ml, p < 0.0001], and a higher proportion had VCTE assessed ≥F2 fibrosis (48.8 vs. 23.2%, p = 0.01) than those without T2DM. GDF-15 was independently associated with liver fibrosis (p = 0.001), and GDF-15 was the most important single factor predicting ≥F2 or ≥F3 fibrosis (≥F2 fibrosis AUROC 0.75, (95% CI 0.63-0.86), p < 0.001, with sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive (PPV) and negative predictive (NPV) values of 56.3%, 86.9%, 69.2% and 79.1%, respectively). GDF-15 was involved in the association between T2DM and ≥F2 fibrosis (Sobel test statistic 2.90, p = 0.004). Other factors associated with T2DM explained 60% of the variance in GDF-15 concentrations (p < 0.0001). HbA1c concentrations alone explained 30% of the variance (p < 0.0001).
conclusionsGDF-15 concentrations are a predictor of liver fibrosis and potentially involved in the association between T2DM and liver fibrosis in NAFLD. HbA1c concentrations explain a large proportion of the variance in GDF-15 concentrations.
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