Candidate proteomic biomarkers for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (steatosis and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis) discovered with mass-spectrometry: a systematic review

<i>Context</i>: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterized by lipid accumulation in the liver which is accompanied by a series of metabolic deregulations. There are sustained research efforts focusing upon biomarker discovery for NAFLD diagnosis and its prognosis in order investigate and follow-up patients as minimally invasive as possible. <i>Objective</i>: The objective of this study is to critically review proteomic studies that used mass spectrometry techniques and summarize relevant proteomic NAFLD candidate biomarkers. <i>Methods</i>: Medline and Embase databases were searched from inception to December 2014. <i>Results</i>: A final number of 22 records were included that identified 251 candidate proteomic biomarkers. Thirty-three biomarkers were confirmed – 14 were found in liver samples, 21 in serum samples, and two from both serum and liver samples. <i>Conclusion</i>: Some of the biomarkers identified have already been extensively studied regarding their diagnostic and prognostic capacity. However, there are also more potential biomarkers that still need to be addressed in future studies.