Serum follistatin like 1 in children with obesity and metabolic-associated fatty liver disease

Abstract Background Follistatin-like protein 1 (FSTL1) has been identified as a secreted glycoprotein that plays an important role in obesity. However, its role in children with metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) has not been investigated. This study aimed at characterizing the relationship between serum FSTL1 concentration and MAFLD in children with obesity. Methods A total of 121 subjects were recruited from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, including 45 obese children with MAFLD, 31 obese children without MAFLD, and 45 healthy controls. Anthropometric parameters, biochemical data were measured and circulating FSTL1 levels were detected by ELISA. Results The levels of FSTL1 in obese children with MAFLD were higher than that in obese children without MAFLD: 1.31 (0.35–2.29) ng/mL vs. 0.55 (0.36–1.38) ng/mL. Correlation analysis illustrated that FSTL1 was associated with nonesterified free fatty acid and leptin (r = 0.278, P