Abstract
Background/Objectives: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), also referred to as metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), is the most common chronic liver disease, closely associated with obesity and Metabolic Syndrome (MetS). Perilipin-2 (PLIN2), the most abundant lipid droplet protein in the liver, is linked to lipid accumulation and inflammation, the hallmarks of NAFLD. The role of PLIN2 in NAFLD etiopathogenesis remains partially understood. This study aims to elucidate the relationship between serum PLIN2 levels and other disease-related parameters in NAFLD, investigate the role of PLIN2 in disease pathogenesis, and evaluate its utility as a biomarker in NAFLD diagnosis. Methods: The study included 46 patients diagnosed with NAFLD who presented internal medicine outpatient clinics and 44 healthy controls. Results: Serum PLIN2 level was found to be statistically significantly higher in the NAFLD patient group compared to the control group. In the NAFLD group, a statistically significant positive correlation was detected between PLIN2 and Body Mass Index (BMI), hip circumference, C-reactive protein (CRP), and platelet count. In ROC analysis, taking the cut-off value for serum PLIN2 level as 5.52 ng/mL predicted the diagnosis of NAFLD with 50% sensitivity and 97.7% specificity. Conclusions: PLIN2 determination demonstrated high specificity at the proposed cut-off value and may represent a promising complementary biomarker for NAFLD, particularly when interpreted alongside other clinical and laboratory parameters. Circulating PLIN2 appears to be influenced by metabolic and inflammatory parameters.