Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42237107›Full record

ArticleBMC gastroenterology2026

Selenoprotein P deficiency in MASLD: association with insulin resistance and liver fibrosis: a prospective case-control study.

Mona A Hegazy, Samar Saad Mohamed, Eman H Saad, Ahmed Abdelghani, Dalia Abd El Fattah, Mohamed Ahmed Elsayed Mekki, Mona Fathy, Nora Hassan, Omar Ashoush

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In one paragraph

Article in BMC gastroenterology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Mona A HegazyInternal Medicine Department, Kasr Al Ainy Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt. monahegazy@cu.edu.eg.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0009-2030-0856
Samar Saad MohamedClinical pathology Department, Kasr Al Ainy Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
Eman H SaadInternal Medicine Department, Kasr Al Ainy Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
Ahmed AbdelghaniInternal Medicine Department, Kasr Al Ainy Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
Dalia Abd El FattahCancer epidemiology and Biostatistics department, National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
Mohamed Ahmed Elsayed MekkiInternal Medicine Department, Kasr Al Ainy Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
Mona FathyClinical pathology Department, Kasr Al Ainy Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
Nora HassanClinical pathology Department, Kasr Al Ainy Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
Omar AshoushInternal Medicine Department, Kasr Al Ainy Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND &

aimsMetabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a globally escalating health concern. Selenoprotein P (SEPP1) is a hepatokine involved in selenium transport and antioxidant defense, with conflicting data on its role in MASLD. This study investigated serum SEPP1 as a potential non-invasive biomarker for disease severity and fibrosis staging.

methodsThis prospective case-control study enrolled 160 Egyptian participants (80 MASLD, 80 healthy controls). MASLD patients were stratified by fibrosis severity using vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE): non-significant fibrosis (< 8 kPa, n = 40) and significant fibrosis (≥ 8 kPa, n = 40). Anthropometric, biochemical (including HOMA-IR, lipid profile, liver enzymes), and SEPP1 (ELISA) measurements were compared.

resultsSEPP1 levels were significantly lower in MASLD patients versus controls (p < 0.001), with the lowest levels in the significant fibrosis subgroup (p = 0.025 vs. non-significant fibrosis). SEPP1 correlated inversely with BMI (r=-0.23, p = 0.004), HOMA-IR (r=-0.25, p = 0.001), and fasting insulin (r=-0.23, p = 0.004). MASLD patients exhibited higher insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and liver enzymes (all p < 0.001). Logistic regression identified BMI (OR = 1.4, 95% CI:1.3-1.6) and HOMA-IR (OR = 1.4, 95% CI:1.1-2.0) as independent MASLD predictors.

conclusionsReduced SEPP1 levels are strongly associated with MASLD severity and hepatic fibrosis. Its inverse correlation with insulin resistance and stepwise decrease with advancing fibrosis position SEPP1 as a promising simple biomarker for metabolic dysfunction and non-invasive fibrosis risk stratification. This is particularly relevant in high-burden populations like Egypt, where accessible tools are urgently needed to guide early intervention, and further studies should explore whether SEPP1 modulation or selenium supplementation could mitigate liver fibrosis progression.

Indexed as

Fatty LiverInsulin ResistanceLiver CirrhosisSelenoprotein PAdultBiomarkersCase-Control StudiesEgyptElasticity Imaging TechniquesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedProspective StudiesSeverity of Illness IndexBiomarkersSELENOP protein, humanSelenoprotein PBiomarkerInsulin resistanceLiver fibrosisMASLDSelenoprotein P

Identifiers

PMID42237107
PMCPMC13235167

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.