{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,14]],"date-time":"2026-10-14T19:32:42Z","timestamp":1792006362572,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,1]],"date-time":"2025-06-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1748736000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Italian Ministry of Health Ricerca Corrente 2025"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is strongly correlated with the severity of obesity, and the extent of liver fibrosis is associated with a higher risk of liver-related complications, cardiovascular events, and overall mortality. Leptin circulating levels are directly correlated with the amount of adipose tissue. Aims: In the present study, we investigated the association between circulating leptin levels and liver steatosis and fibrosis. Methods: Eighty-six patients (41.7 \u00b1 12.6 yrs, 35 men, 41%), na\u00efve to medications, who attended the Nutrition Center for the Research and Care of Obesity and Metabolic Diseases at the National Institute of Gastroenterology \u201cSaverio de Bellis\u201d for weight management, were cross-sectionally evaluated. Demographic, anthropometric, clinical, and laboratory data were collected and analyzed. All patients underwent liver ultrasonographic assessment by FibroScan to diagnose liver steatosis (controlled attenuation parameter, CAP &gt; 275 dBm) and fibrosis (liver stiffness measurement, LSM &gt; 8.2 kPa). Results: Sixty-three individuals (73.3%) had liver steatosis, and 17 (19.8%) had liver fibrosis. The mean leptin levels were 22.3 \u00b1 14.1 ng\/mL, while the BMI and waist circumference were 36.7 \u00b1 7.2 kg\/m2 and 114.5 \u00b1 16.4 cm, respectively. CAP values exhibited no correlation with leptin (r = 0.09, p = 0.436), while a significant connection was seen between leptin and LSM (\u03b2 = 0.065; p = 0.038). Specifically, for each unit increase in leptin, LSM values were varied by +0.065 units (p = 0.038). This association was independent of gender, age, insulin resistance, adiponectin, RBP4, and visfatin. This is the first study showing these results by using FibroScan assessment in patients na\u00efve to medications. Conclusions: Circulating leptin concentrations are independently correlated with hepatic fibrosis in individuals with a BMI \u2265 25 kg\/m2. These findings indicate a function for leptin in promoting liver fibrosis; however, longitudinal studies are required to elucidate the causal nature of this interaction.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu17111908","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,2]],"date-time":"2025-06-02T05:09:12Z","timestamp":1748840952000},"page":"1908","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Liver Fibrosis Is Positively and Independently Associated with Leptin Circulating Levels in Individuals That Are Overweight and Obese: A FibroScan-Based Cross-Sectional Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Nicole","family":"Cerabino","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Center of Nutrition for the Research and the Care of Obesity and Metabolic Diseases, National Institute of Gastroenterology \u201cSaverio de Bellis\u201d, IRCCS Hospital, Castellana Grotte, 70013 Bari, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-2759-8347","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Martina","family":"Di Chito","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center of Nutrition for the Research and the Care of Obesity and Metabolic Diseases, National Institute of Gastroenterology \u201cSaverio de Bellis\u201d, IRCCS Hospital, Castellana Grotte, 70013 Bari, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3291-3686","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Davide","family":"Guido","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unit of Data Science, National Institute of Gastroenterology \u201cSaverio de Bellis\u201d, IRCCS Hospital, Castellana Grotte, 70013 Bari, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Vincenza","family":"Di Stasi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center of Nutrition for the Research and the Care of Obesity and Metabolic Diseases, National Institute of Gastroenterology \u201cSaverio de Bellis\u201d, IRCCS Hospital, Castellana Grotte, 70013 Bari, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8650-348X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Caterina","family":"Bonfiglio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unit of Data Science, National Institute of Gastroenterology \u201cSaverio de Bellis\u201d, IRCCS Hospital, Castellana Grotte, 70013 Bari, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6521-8578","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giuseppe","family":"Lisco","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Bari \u201cAldo Moro\u201d, 70124 Bari, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4909-0436","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Endrit","family":"Shahini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Gastroenterology, National Institute of Gastroenterology \u201cSaverio de Bellis\u201d, IRCCS Hospital, Castellana Grotte, 70013 Bari, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Marianna","family":"Zappimbulso","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Gastroenterology, National Institute of Gastroenterology \u201cSaverio de Bellis\u201d, IRCCS Hospital, Castellana Grotte, 70013 Bari, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Raffaele","family":"Cozzolongo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Gastroenterology, National Institute of Gastroenterology \u201cSaverio de Bellis\u201d, IRCCS Hospital, Castellana Grotte, 70013 Bari, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Valeria","family":"Tutino","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Clinical Pathology, National Institute of Gastroenterology \u201cSaverio de Bellis\u201d, IRCCS Hospital, Castellana Grotte, 70013 Bari, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-9272-616X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Arianna","family":"Diciolla","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Clinical Pathology, National Institute of Gastroenterology \u201cSaverio de Bellis\u201d, IRCCS Hospital, Castellana Grotte, 70013 Bari, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5966-5064","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rosanna","family":"Mallamaci","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Environment, University of Bari \u201cAldo Moro\u201d, Campus \u201cE. Quagliarello\u201d, 70126 Bari, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dolores","family":"Stabile","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Core Facility Biobank, National Institute of Gastroenterology \u201cSaverio de Bellis\u201d, IRCCS Hospital, Castellana Grotte, 70013 Bari, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-7662-1763","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anna","family":"Ancona","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Core Facility Biobank, National Institute of Gastroenterology \u201cSaverio de Bellis\u201d, IRCCS Hospital, Castellana Grotte, 70013 Bari, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3359-7010","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sergio","family":"Coletta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Core Facility Biobank, National Institute of Gastroenterology \u201cSaverio de Bellis\u201d, IRCCS Hospital, Castellana Grotte, 70013 Bari, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4675-2075","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Pasqua Letizia","family":"Pesole","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Core Facility Biobank, National Institute of Gastroenterology \u201cSaverio de Bellis\u201d, IRCCS Hospital, Castellana Grotte, 70013 Bari, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5140-8060","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gianluigi","family":"Giannelli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Scientific Direction, National Institute of Gastroenterology \u201cSaverio de Bellis\u201d, IRCCS Hospital, Castellana Grotte, 70013 Bari, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0020-3273","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giovanni","family":"De Pergola","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center of Nutrition for the Research and the Care of Obesity and Metabolic Diseases, National Institute of Gastroenterology \u201cSaverio de Bellis\u201d, IRCCS Hospital, Castellana Grotte, 70013 Bari, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL), European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), and European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO) (2024). 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