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Letter to the Editor: Immune-transcriptomic profiles in peripheral blood mononuclear cells highlight early dysregulation in adolescent non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Noura A A Ebrahim, Department of Oncologic Pathology, National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, Cairo 11796, Al Qāhirah, Egypt
Aya Arafat, Department of Chemical and Clinical Pathology, Kasr Al-Aini faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Egypt, Cairo 11562, Al Qāhirah, Egypt
Soliman M A Soliman, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Cairo 12613, Al Qāhirah, Egypt
Co-first authors: Noura A A Ebrahim and Aya Arafat.
Co-corresponding authors: Noura A A Ebrahim and Soliman M A Soliman.
Author contributions: Ebrahim NAA, Arafat A, and Soliman SMA contributed equally to the conceptualization, drafting, and critical review of the manuscript; Ebrahim NAA and Soliman SMA contributed equally to this work.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest to disclose.
Corresponding author: Noura A A Ebrahim, Department of Oncologic Pathology, National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, Cairo 11796, Al Qāhirah, Egypt. npathologist@gmail.com
Received: December 8, 2025
Revised: February 5, 2026
Accepted: April 24, 2026
Published online: July 27, 2026
Processing time: 230 Days and 8.1 Hours
Revised: February 5, 2026
Accepted: April 24, 2026
Published online: July 27, 2026
Processing time: 230 Days and 8.1 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This letter highlights early immune disturbances in adolescents with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) revealed through transcriptomic and cytokine analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). By exposing PBMCs to autologous fecal extracts, the study recreated gut-liver interactions in vitro, demonstrating how host-specific microbiota shape systemic immune responses. These results suggest that PBMC-derived immune signatures could serve as minimally invasive biomarkers and inform the development of personalized diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in pediatric NAFLD.