LEP and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: Leptin stimulated TNF-αα production in peripheral monocytes from control subjects and patients with NAFLD; however, compared to the control subjects, the patients with NAFLD presented higher fold of increase indexes [2.99 (1.91–4.03) vs. 5.04 (3.87–8.54), respectively; p = 0.004] (Fig 3A).