Association between MTTP genotype (-493G/T) polymorphism and hepatic steatosis in hepatitis C: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis C has been associated with the development of hepatic steatosis, which increases the risk of liver cancer. The microsomal triglyceride transporter protein (MTTP), is a lipid transport protein that mediates lipid metabolism and CD1d antigen presentation. The study aimed to explore the association between MTTP genotype (-493G/T) polymorphism and hepatic steatosis in hepatitis C. METHODS: The database “Pubmed, Cochrane library, CNKI, Web of science, Embase and CBM” were retrieved to identify the literature. The quality of the selected literature was evaluated using the “the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale” (NOS). Relevant data was extracted and analyzed using the Stata software. Heterogeneity was expressed by “Cochran's Q and I(2)”, with I(2) ≥ 50% or P < 0.05 indicating high heterogeneity. A random-effects model and subgroup analysis were conducted to identify the sources of heterogeneity. We also used “Funnel plots”, “Egger’s tests” and “Begg’s tests” to evaluate biases in the literature. RESULTS: The study found a significant and positive association between liver steatosis and the HCV genotype 3 with a dominant model of the MTTP genotype (-493G/T) (OR = 11.57, 95%CI: 4.467–29.962, P < 0.001). In contrast, no correlation was found between hepatic steatosis and either the recessive, homozygous or heterozygous models (OR = 1.142, P = 0.5; OR = 1.581, P = 0.081; OR = 1.029, P = 0.86). There was no significant publication biases, as measured by the Funnel plot, and the Egger’s and Begg's tests. Finally, sensitivity analysis showed the obtained results are stable. CONCLUSIONS: Dominant mutations in the T allele of the MTTP genotype (-493G/T) increase susceptibility to hepatic steatosis in patients presenting with the HCV genotype 3. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12944-023-01916-x.