Serum DsbA-L Levels and DsbA-L rs1917760 Polymorphism in Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD): A Hospital-Based Case-Control Study

BackgroundMetabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a common chronic liver disease associated with obesity, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, oxidative stress, and chronic low-grade inflammation.Various proteins and gene variants are involved in the pathogenesis of MASLD; however, evidence regarding the role of DsbA-L in this disease is still limited.Therefore, this study evaluated the possible role of DsbA-L and its polymorphism at rs1917760 (-1308 G/T) in the pathogenesis of MASLD and attempted to address critical knowledge gaps regarding MASLD in the Indian population. MethodsThis was a hospital-based case-control study comprising 100 patients with MASLD and 100 healthy controls.Hepatic steatosis was assessed by abdominal USG.Blood samples were collected from the subjects, and serum was separated.Serum DsbA-L levels were quantified using a commercially available research-grade ELISA kit.DNA from MASLD cases was extracted using the QIAamp DNA Blood Mini Kit, whereas DNA from healthy controls was extracted using the phenol-chloroform method.DsbA-L rs1917760 was amplified using conventional PCR.All statistical analyses were conducted using R software and GraphPad Prism. ResultsThe mean DsbA-L level among cases was 130.86 ± 59.89 ng/mL, whereas that in the control group was 168.89 ± 60.84 ng/mL.The difference between these groups was statistically significant (p < 0.0001).Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis indicated a modest discriminatory ability of DsbA-L (area under the curve (AUC) = 0.69).In univariable analysis, DsbA-L was significantly inversely associated with disease status; however, this association was no longer significant after adjusting for age, sex, and BMI (adjusted OR = 0.997, 95% CI: 0.991-1.003;p = 0.389).BMI remained independently associated with case status (adjusted OR = 1.761, 95% CI: 1.496-2.073;p < 0.001).The scatter plot demonstrated a statistically significant moderate inverse association between BMI and serum DsbA-L levels (Spearman's r = -0.43,p < 0.001).This indicates that individuals with higher BMI tended to have lower serum DsbA-L concentrations.The DsbA-L rs1917760 polymorphism exhibited the wild-type genotype (GG) in all subjects. ConclusionSerum DsbA-L levels were significantly lower in patients with MASLD and were inversely associated with BMI, suggesting a possible relationship between DsbA-L and MASLD.However, serum DsbA-L was not independently associated with the disease after adjustment for potential confounding factors.Furthermore, the DsbA-L rs1917760 polymorphism was monomorphic in our study population.