Evaluation of Phoenixin-14, Fibroblast Growth Factor-19, and Soluble TREM-2 as Novel Biochemical Biomarkers in the Progression of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease to Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis
Department of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Kirkuk, Kirkuk, Iraq.
Research Article
World Journal of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2026, 08(02), 016-025.
Article DOI: 10.53346/wjcps.2026.8.2.0018
Publication history:
Received on 08 May 2026; revised on 12 June 2026; accepted on 15 June 2026
Abstract:
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) may progress to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which is associated with hepatocellular injury and inflammatory activation. This study evaluated serum Phoenixin-14 (PNX-14), fibroblast growth factor-19 (FGF-19), and soluble TREM-2 (sTREM-2) as non-invasive biomarkers in 120 participants: controls (n = 40), NAFLD patients (n = 40), and NASH patients (n = 40). PNX-14 and FGF-19 decreased progressively from controls to NAFLD and NASH, whereas sTREM-2 increased significantly (P < 0.001). In NASH patients, PNX-14 and FGF-19 were negatively correlated with ALT, HOMA-IR, BMI, and sTREM-2, while sTREM-2 was positively correlated with ALT, HOMA-IR, and BMI. These findings suggest that reduced PNX-14 and FGF-19 together with elevated sTREM-2 may reflect metabolic, enterohepatic, and inflammatory dysregulation during NAFLD progression to NASH. Further larger studies are required to validate this biomarker triad before clinical application.
Keywords:
NAFLD; NASH; Phoenixin-14; FGF-19; Strem-2; HOMA-IR
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