Lipids & metabolic liver disease
Platelet‐Activating Factor Pathway in Women With Metabolic Dysfunction‐Associated Steatotic Liver Disease and Obesity
Authors' conclusion
The PAF-PAFR axis is upregulated in obesity-associated MASLD and is strongly linked to inflammatory and injury-related histological features, supporting PAFR as a potential therapeutic target. Conversely, plasma Lp-PLA2 does not appear to be a reliable noninvasive biomarker of MASLD severity in women with obesity.
Study context
- Population
- Women with severe obesity undergoing bariatric surgery, with liver biopsies and blood samples
- Participants
- 64 women
- Outcome
- Hepatic platelet-activating factor (PAF) receptor (PAFR) mRNA expression and plasma lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) across MASLD severity stages
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
- Hepatic PAF receptor (PAFR) expression significantly upregulated in MASLD, highest in MASH
- PAFR expression correlated positively with steatosis, lobular inflammation and hepatocyte ballooning
- Circulating Lp-PLA2 did not differ across MASLD stages; no correlation with hepatic PAFR expression or liver injury markers
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Original publication
Platelet‐Activating Factor Pathway in Women With Metabolic Dysfunction‐Associated Steatotic Liver Disease and Obesity. Obesity (Silver Spring). Published 26 March 2026. doi:10.
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