Endocrine Abstracts

JOINT234

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) in young individuals with obesity poses a significant global health challenge in diagnosis. Here, we analyzed a cohort of children and adolescents with obesity-related MASLD to uncover remarkable metabolic alterations associated with disease progression. Specifically, circulating tryptophan (TRP) metabolism was markedly elevated in obesity and obesity-related MASLD statuses compared to their normal-weight peers. Furthermore, TRP-derived metabolites significantly promote intracellular lipid accumulation in mouse hepatocytes and liver organoids. Last, we developed a non-invasive diagnostic model utilizing TRP-derived metabolites to effectively differentiate obesity-related MASLD in children and adolescents. Our findings underscore the importance of tryptophan metabolism in MASLD progression in children and adolescents with obesity and hold promises for TRP-derived metabolites as non-invasive biomarkers in early diagnosis.