Plasma GLP-1 and metabolic dynamics during human liver regeneration and their association with posthepatectomy liver failure.

Abstract

Background: Metabolic regulation is critical during liver regeneration in rodents, but human data are limited. We investigated perioperative dynamics of circulating metabolites and plasma levels of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and GLP-2, in patients undergoing liver resections, exploring their associations with the histological phenotype of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and posthepatectomy liver failure (PHLF).

Methods: Eighty-one and 75 patients from two centers between 2012 and 2023 were studied. Targeted quantitative metabolomic assay of 180 circulating metabolites, perioperative GLP-1, GLP-2, and standard lipid parameter level evaluation was employed. An exploratory PHLF prediction model was developed, including GLP-1 as a metabolic parameter.

Results: Significant alterations of 44 metabolites by postoperative day (POD) 1 and 40 by POD5 were observed, mainly among phospholipid species. Unsupervised clustering identified two metabolic clusters, with one encompassing 93% of PHLF patients by POD5 (P<0.001). Standard plasma lipid parameters displayed consistent decrease after hepatectomy, independent from MASLD phenotype, with the lowest levels in PHLF patients. Postoperative GLP-1 and GLP-2 dynamics displayed a reciprocal pattern, indicating adaptive change in secretion. Preoperative GLP-1 levels were significantly increased in PHLF (P=0.02). Furthermore, incorporation of GLP-1 into the established aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index (APRI) + albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) score, improved PHLF prediction [area under the curve (AUC): 0.833, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.660-0.964].

Conclusions: Significant metabolic changes occur during human liver resection, particularly in phospholipid metabolism, along with distinct perioperative dynamics of GLP-1 and GLP-2, closely linked to PHLF and independent of the histological phenotype of MASLD. Additionally, we provide exploratory results on the predictive value of GLP-1 for PHLF, emphasizing a holistic model of liver function assessment highlighting the metabolic component of human liver regeneration.