The association of the adipokine zinc‐alpha2‐glycoprotein with non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease and related risk factors: A comprehensive systematic review

Abstract

Background and aim:The adipokine zinc-alpha2-glycoprotein (ZAG), a multidisciplinary protein, is involved in lipid metabolism, glucose homeostasis and energy balance. Accumulating evidence demonstrates that the expression of ZAG is mainly downregulated in obesity and obesity-related conditions. In the present study, we assessed the association of ZAG with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and the related risk factors including obesity, metabolic factors and inflammatory parameters, with emphasis on potential mechanisms underlying these associations.Methods: PRISMA guidelines were followed in this review. Systematic searches were performed using the PubMed/Medline,