Al-Nimer MS. Sarcopenia and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: The role of exercise-related biomarkers. World J Hepatol 2025; 17(2): 101165 [DOI: 10.4254/wjh.v17.i2.101165]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Marwan S Al-Nimer, MD, PhD, Department of Therapeutics and Clinical Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of Diyala, University Street, Baqubah 32001, Iraq. marwanalnimer@yahoo.com
Research Domain of This Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Article-Type of This Article
Letter to the Editor
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Hepatol. Feb 27, 2025; 17(2): 101165 Published online Feb 27, 2025. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v17.i2.101165
Sarcopenia and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: The role of exercise-related biomarkers
Marwan S Al-Nimer
Marwan S Al-Nimer, Department of Therapeutics and Clinical Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of Diyala, Baqubah 32001, Iraq
Author contributions: Al-Nimer MS contributed to conception, design, writing, and editing.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The author reports no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Marwan S Al-Nimer, MD, PhD, Department of Therapeutics and Clinical Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of Diyala, University Street, Baqubah 32001, Iraq. marwanalnimer@yahoo.com
Received: September 10, 2024 Revised: December 9, 2024 Accepted: December 17, 2024 Published online: February 27, 2025 Processing time: 163 Days and 21 Hours
Abstract
The etiology, risk factors, and management of sarcopenia and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) are comparable, which prompted the investigators to search for a particular diagnostic or prognostic biomarker that was involved in both disorders. Peptides or proteins known as myokines, or exerkines, are produced and secreted by contracted muscles. Myokines work similarly to hormones in their actions. One common clinical hallmark of sarcopenia and MASLD is physical inactivity, which is associated with alterations in the levels of myokines. Irisin is a positive regulator of muscle size that is elevated in the biological fluids during exercise. Significantly low levels were observed in the pathological conditions associated with physical inactivity. The serum levels of irisin are significantly higher in MASLD patients, while their levels were lower in risk factors of MASLD, e.g., diabetes mellitus, obesity, and insulin resistance. In sarcopenia with obesity (sarcopenic obesity) or with a normal build, serum irisin levels are significantly lower than in healthy subjects. Therefore, serial determination of irisin levels that showed a transition from higher to lower levels in MASLD indicated the development of sarcopenia in those patients.
Core Tip: Sarcopenia and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) share similar risk factors, pathophysiology, and cause (physical inactivity). In both conditions, physical inactivity is a remarkable clinical finding. Determination of irisin in the biological fluids serves as a good marker for physical activity as it elevates during muscle contraction. In sarcopenia, serum irisin declined, while in MASLD it increased. Therefore, a transition of serum irisin from higher to lower levels in MASLD could indicate the occurrence of sarcopenia.
