Also, the glycoproteins haptoglobin and tissue-inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP-1) have been shown to be elevated in plasma of patients with more advanced stages of NAFLD and have therefore recently been suggested as useful clinical plasma biomarkers, indicative of hepatocyte ballooning and liver fibrosis, respectively [10, 11]. This evidence concerns the gene TIMP1 and Hepatic fibrosis.