cannabinoid receptor type 2 functional variant influences liver damage in children with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease大麻素受体2型功能性变体的影响在儿童非酒精脂肪肝肝损伤.pdfVIP

Cannabinoid Receptor Type 2 Functional Variant Influences Liver Damage in Children with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease 1,3 2 4 4 2 1 Francesca Rossi *, Giulia Bellini , Anna Alisi , Arianna Alterio , Sabatino Maione , Laura Perrone , Franco Locatelli3,5, Emanuele Miraglia del Giudice1., Valerio Nobili4. 1 Department of Pediatrics, Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy, 2 Department of Experimental Medicine, Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy, 3 Department of ` ` Haematology-Oncology, Bambino Gesu Children’s Hospital and Research Institute, Rome, Italy, 4 Liver Unit, Bambino Gesu Children’s Hospital and Research Institute, Rome, Italy, 5 University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy Abstract Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) comprises a spectrum of disease ranging from simple steatosis to inflammatory steatohepatitis (NASH) with different degrees of fibrosis that can ultimately progress to cirrhosis. Accumulating evidence suggests the involvement of the endocannabinoid-system in liver disease and related complications. In particular, hepatoprotective properties for Cannabinoid Receptor type 2 (CB2) have been shown both through experimental murine models of liver injury and association study between a CB2 functional variant, Q63R, and liver enzymes in Italian obese children with steatosis. Here, in order to clarify the role of CB2 in severity of childhood NAFLD, we have investigated the association of the CB2 Q63R variant, with histological parameters of liver disease severity in 118 Italian children with histologically-proven NAFLD.