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Hermanson JB, Tolba SA, Chrisler EA, Leone VA. Gut microbes, diet, and genetics as drivers of metabolic liver disease: a narrative review outlining implications for precision medicine. J Nutr Biochem 2024; 133:109704. [PMID: 39029595 DOI: 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2024.109704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2024] [Revised: 07/01/2024] [Accepted: 07/15/2024] [Indexed: 07/21/2024]
Abstract
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is rapidly increasing in prevalence, impacting over a third of the global population. The advanced form of MASLD, Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), is on track to become the number one indication for liver transplant. FDA-approved pharmacological agents are limited for MASH, despite over 400 ongoing clinical trials, with only a single drug (resmetirom) currently on the market. This is likely due to the heterogeneous nature of disease pathophysiology, which involves interactions between highly individualized genetic and environmental factors. To apply precision medicine approaches that overcome interpersonal variability, in-depth insights into interactions between genetics, nutrition, and the gut microbiome are needed, given that each have emerged as dynamic contributors to MASLD and MASH pathogenesis. Here, we discuss the associations and molecular underpinnings of several of these factors individually and outline their interactions in the context of both patient-based studies and preclinical animal model systems. Finally, we highlight gaps in knowledge that will require further investigation to aid in successfully implementing precision medicine to prevent and alleviate MASLD and MASH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jake B Hermanson
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Samar A Tolba
- Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Department of Nutrition and Clinical Nutrition, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt
| | - Evan A Chrisler
- Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Vanessa A Leone
- Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
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Lonardo A, Zheng MH. Does an Aspirin a Day Take the MASLD Away? Adv Ther 2024; 41:2559-2575. [PMID: 38748333 DOI: 10.1007/s12325-024-02885-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/29/2024]
Abstract
Although aspirin is deeply rooted in the most ancient history of medicine, the mechanism of action of this drug was only identified a few decades ago. Aspirin has several indications ranging from its long-known analgesic and antipyretic properties to the more recently discovered antithrombotic, chemopreventive and anti-eclampsia actions. In addition, a recent line of research has identified aspirin as a drug with potential hepatologic indications. This article specifically focuses on the nonalcoholic fatty liver disease/nonalcoholic metabolic dysfunction fatty liver disease/metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (NAFLD/MAFLD/MASLD) field. To this end, the most recently published randomized controlled trial on aspirin for non-cirrhotic MASLD is summarized and discussed. Moreover, previous epidemiologic evidence supporting the notion that aspirin exerts antisteatotic and antifibrotic hepatic effects, which may result in the primary prevention of hepatocellular carcinoma, is also addressed. Next, the putative mechanisms involved are examined, with reference to the effects on adipose tissue and liver and sex differences in the action of aspirin. It is concluded that these novel findings on aspirin as a "hepatologic drug" deserve additional in-depth evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amedeo Lonardo
- Department of Internal Medicine, Ospedale Civile di Baggiovara (-2023), Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Modena, 41100, Modena, Italy.
| | - Ming-Hua Zheng
- Department of Hepatology, MAFLD Research Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000, China
- Wenzhou Key Laboratory of Hepatology, Wenzhou, 325000, China
- Institute of Hepatology, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000, China
- Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment for the Development of Chronic Liver Disease in Zhejiang Province, Wenzhou, 325000, China
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Dai W, Cai D, Zhou S, Li A, Xie J, Zhang J. Uncovering a causal connection between the Lachnoclostridium genus in fecal microbiota and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1276790. [PMID: 38192292 PMCID: PMC10773585 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1276790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Previous observational studies have indicated that an imbalance in gut microbiota may contribute to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, given the inevitable bias and unmeasured confounders in observational studies, the causal relationship between gut microbiota and NAFLD cannot be deduced. Therefore, we employed a two-sample Mendelian randomization (TSMR) study to assess the causality between gut microbiota and NAFLD. Methods The gut microbiota-related genome-wide association study (GWAS) data of 18,340 individuals were collected from the International MiBioGen consortium. The GWAS summary data for NAFLD from the Anstee cohort (1,483 cases and 17,781 controls) and the FinnGen consortium (894 cases and 217,898 controls) were utilized in the discovery and verification phases, respectively. The inverse variance weighted (IVW) method was used as the principal method in our Mendelian randomization (MR) study, with sensitivity analyses using the MR-Egger, weighted median, simple mode, and weighted mode methods. The MR-Egger intercept test, Cochran's Q test, and leave-one-out analysis were conducted to identify heterogeneity and pleiotropy. Moreover, a fixed-effect meta-analysis was conducted to verify the robustness of the results. Results The gene prediction results showed that at the genus level, four gut microbiota were causally associated with NAFLD in the GWAS conducted by Anstee et al. The relative abundance of Intestinimonas (OR: 0.694, 95%CI: 0.533-0.903, p = 0.006, IVW), Lachnoclostridium (OR: 0.420, 95%CI: 0.245-0.719, p = 0.002, IVW), and Senegalimassilia (OR: 0.596, 95%CI: 0.363-0.978, p = 0.041, IVW) was negatively associated with NAFLD. The relative abundance of Ruminococcus1 (OR: 1.852, 95%CI: 1.179-2.908, p = 0.007, IVW) was positively correlated with NAFLD. Among them, the Lachnoclostridium genus was validated in FinnGen GWAS (OR: 0.53, 95%CI: 0.304-0.928, p = 0.026, IVW). The Lachnoclostridium genus was also significantly associated with NAFLD risk in the meta-analyses (OR: 0.470, 95%CI: 0.319-0.692, p = 0.0001, IVW). No heterogeneity or pleiotropy was observed. Conclusion This study provided new evidence of the relationship between the Lachnoclostridium genus and NAFLD, suggesting that augmentation of the relative abundance of the Lachnoclostridium genus through the oral administration of probiotics or fecal microbiota transplantation could be an effective way to reduce the risk of NAFLD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanhui Dai
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Hospital of Nanjing, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Dandong Cai
- Department of Neurology, The Fifth People's Hospital of Huai'an, Huai'an, China
| | - Shuai Zhou
- Department of Endocrinology, Affiliated Huai'an Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Huai'an, China
| | - Ang Li
- Department of Endocrinology, Affiliated Huai'an Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Huai'an, China
| | - Jinsong Xie
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Hospital of Nanjing, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Jie Zhang
- Department of Endocrinology, Affiliated Huai'an Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Huai'an, China
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Cuño-Gómiz C, de Gregorio E, Tutusaus A, Rider P, Andrés-Sánchez N, Colell A, Morales A, Marí M. Sex-based differences in natural killer T cell-mediated protection against diet-induced steatohepatitis in Balb/c mice. Biol Sex Differ 2023; 14:85. [PMID: 37964320 PMCID: PMC10644614 DOI: 10.1186/s13293-023-00569-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is prevalent in Western countries, evolving into metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) with a sexual dimorphism. Fertile women exhibit lower MASLD risk than men, which diminishes post-menopause. While NKT-cell involvement in steatohepatitis is debated, discrepancies may stem from varied mouse strains used, predominantly C57BL6/J with Th1-dominant responses. Exploration of steatohepatitis, encompassing both genders, using Balb/c background, with Th2-dominant immune response, and CD1d-deficient mice in the Balb/c background (lacking Type I and Type II NKT cells) can clarify gender disparities and NKT-cell influence on MASH progression. METHODS A high fat and choline-deficient (HFCD) diet was used in male and female mice, Balb/c mice or CD1d-/- mice in the Balb/c background that exhibit a Th2-dominant immune response. Liver fibrosis and inflammatory gene expression were measured by qPCR, and histology assessment. NKT cells, T cells, macrophages and neutrophils were assessed by flow cytometry. RESULTS Female mice displayed milder steatohepatitis after 6 weeks of HFCD, showing reduced liver damage, inflammation, and fibrosis compared to males. Male Balb/c mice exhibited NKT-cell protection against steatohepatitis whereas CD1d-/- males on HFCD presented decreased hepatoprotection, increased liver fibrosis, inflammation, neutrophilic infiltration, and inflammatory macrophages. In contrast, the NKT-cell role was negligible in early steatohepatitis development in both female mice, as fibrosis and inflammation were similar despite augmented liver damage in CD1d-/- females. Relevant, hepatic type I NKT levels in female Balb/c mice were significantly lower than in male. CONCLUSIONS NKT cells exert a protective role against experimental steatohepatitis as HFCD-treated CD1d-/- males had more severe fibrosis and inflammation than male Balb/c mice. In females, the HFCD-induced hepatocellular damage and the immune response are less affected by NKT cells on early steatohepatitis progression, underscoring sex-specific NKT-cell influence in MASH development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Cuño-Gómiz
- Department of Cell Death and Proliferation, IIBB, CSIC, IDIBAPS, 08036, Barcelona, Spain
- Departament de Biomedicina, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Estefanía de Gregorio
- Department of Cell Death and Proliferation, IIBB, CSIC, IDIBAPS, 08036, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Anna Tutusaus
- Department of Cell Death and Proliferation, IIBB, CSIC, IDIBAPS, 08036, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Patricia Rider
- Department of Cell Death and Proliferation, IIBB, CSIC, IDIBAPS, 08036, Barcelona, Spain
- Departament de Biomedicina, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Nuria Andrés-Sánchez
- Institute of Molecular Genetics of Montpellier (IGMM), University of Montpellier, CNRS, INSERM, 34293, Montpellier, France
| | - Anna Colell
- Department of Cell Death and Proliferation, IIBB, CSIC, IDIBAPS, 08036, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Albert Morales
- Department of Cell Death and Proliferation, IIBB, CSIC, IDIBAPS, 08036, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Montserrat Marí
- Department of Cell Death and Proliferation, IIBB, CSIC, IDIBAPS, 08036, Barcelona, Spain.
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Lazarus JV, Mark HE, Allen AM, Arab JP, Carrieri P, Noureddin M, Alazawi W, Alkhouri N, Alqahtani SA, Arrese M, Bataller R, Berg T, Brennan PN, Burra P, Castro-Narro GE, Cortez-Pinto H, Cusi K, Dedes N, Duseja A, Francque SM, Hagström H, Huang TTK, Wajcman DI, Kautz A, Kopka CJ, Krag A, Miller V, Newsome PN, Rinella ME, Romero D, Sarin SK, Silva M, Spearman CW, Tsochatzis EA, Valenti L, Villota-Rivas M, Zelber-Sagi S, Schattenberg JM, Wong VWS, Younossi ZM. A global research priority agenda to advance public health responses to fatty liver disease. J Hepatol 2023; 79:618-634. [PMID: 37353401 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2023.04.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Revised: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS An estimated 38% of adults worldwide have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). From individual impacts to widespread public health and economic consequences, the implications of this disease are profound. This study aimed to develop an aligned, prioritised fatty liver disease research agenda for the global health community. METHODS Nine co-chairs drafted initial research priorities, subsequently reviewed by 40 core authors and debated during a three-day in-person meeting. Following a Delphi methodology, over two rounds, a large panel (R1 n = 344, R2 n = 288) reviewed the priorities, via Qualtrics XM, indicating agreement using a four-point Likert-scale and providing written feedback. The core group revised the draft priorities between rounds. In R2, panellists also ranked the priorities within six domains: epidemiology, models of care, treatment and care, education and awareness, patient and community perspectives, and leadership and public health policy. RESULTS The consensus-built fatty liver disease research agenda encompasses 28 priorities. The mean percentage of 'agree' responses increased from 78.3 in R1 to 81.1 in R2. Five priorities received unanimous combined agreement ('agree' + 'somewhat agree'); the remaining 23 priorities had >90% combined agreement. While all but one of the priorities exhibited at least a super-majority of agreement (>66.7% 'agree'), 13 priorities had <80% 'agree', with greater reliance on 'somewhat agree' to achieve >90% combined agreement. CONCLUSIONS Adopting this multidisciplinary consensus-built research priorities agenda can deliver a step-change in addressing fatty liver disease, mitigating against its individual and societal harms and proactively altering its natural history through prevention, identification, treatment, and care. This agenda should catalyse the global health community's efforts to advance and accelerate responses to this widespread and fast-growing public health threat. IMPACT AND IMPLICATIONS An estimated 38% of adults and 13% of children and adolescents worldwide have fatty liver disease, making it the most prevalent liver disease in history. Despite substantial scientific progress in the past three decades, the burden continues to grow, with an urgent need to advance understanding of how to prevent, manage, and treat the disease. Through a global consensus process, a multidisciplinary group agreed on 28 research priorities covering a broad range of themes, from disease burden, treatment, and health system responses to awareness and policy. The findings have relevance for clinical and non-clinical researchers as well as funders working on fatty liver disease and non-communicable diseases more broadly, setting out a prioritised, ranked research agenda for turning the tide on this fast-growing public health threat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey V Lazarus
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Hospital Clínic, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (CUNY SPH), New York, NY, USA.
| | - Henry E Mark
- European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL), Geneva, Switzerland; Independent Consultant, Nottingham, UK
| | - Alina M Allen
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Juan Pablo Arab
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine, Western University & London Health Sciences Centre, London, Ontario, Canada; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Schulich School of Medicine, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; Department of Gastroenterology, School of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Patrizia Carrieri
- Aix Marseille Univ, Inserm, IRD, SESSTIM, Sciences Economiques & Sociales de la Santé & Traitement de l'Information Médicale, ISSPAM, Marseille, France
| | - Mazen Noureddin
- Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston Research Institute, Houston, TX, USA
| | - William Alazawi
- Barts Liver Centre, Blizard Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Naim Alkhouri
- Fatty Liver Program, Arizona Liver Health, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - Saleh A Alqahtani
- King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Marco Arrese
- Department of Gastroenterology, School of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Ramon Bataller
- Liver Unit, Hospital Clínic, University of Barcelona, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Thomas Berg
- Division of Hepatology, Department of Medicine II, Leipzig University Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Paul N Brennan
- Division of Hepatology, University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland, UK
| | - Patrizia Burra
- Multivisceral Transplant Unit-Gastroenterology, Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology at the Padua University Hospital, Padua, Italy
| | - Graciela E Castro-Narro
- Department of Hepatology and Transplant, Hospital Médica Sur, Mexico City, Mexico; Department of Gastroenterology, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Mexico City, Mexico; Asociación Latinoamericana para el Estudio del Hígado (ALEH), Santiago, Chile
| | - Helena Cortez-Pinto
- Clinica Universitária de Gastrenterologia, Laboratório de Nutrição, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Kenneth Cusi
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, Department of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | | | - Ajay Duseja
- Department of Hepatology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
| | - Sven M Francque
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium; InflaMed Centre of Excellence, Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Paediatrics, Translational Sciences in Inflammation and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Hannes Hagström
- Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Terry T-K Huang
- CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (CUNY SPH), New York, NY, USA; CUNY Center for Systems and Community Design and NYU-CUNY Prevention Research Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Dana Ivancovsky Wajcman
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Hospital Clínic, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | | | - Aleksander Krag
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
| | - Veronica Miller
- University California Berkeley School of Public Health, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Philip N Newsome
- National Institute for Health Research Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Mary E Rinella
- Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Diana Romero
- Department of Community Health and Social Sciences, CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, New York, NY, USA
| | - Shiv Kumar Sarin
- Department of Hepatology, Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - Marcelo Silva
- Hepatology and Clinical Research Units, Hospital Universitario Austral, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - C Wendy Spearman
- Division of Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | | | - Luca Valenti
- Precision Medicine, Biological Resource Center, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy; Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Marcela Villota-Rivas
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Hospital Clínic, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Shira Zelber-Sagi
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel; Department of Gastroenterology, Tel Aviv Medical Centre, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Jörn M Schattenberg
- Metabolic Liver Research Program, I. Department of Medicine, University Medical Centre Mainz, Mainz, Germany
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Lonardo A. The heterogeneity of metabolic syndrome presentation and challenges this causes in its pharmacological management: a narrative review focusing on principal risk modifiers. Expert Rev Clin Pharmacol 2023; 16:891-911. [PMID: 37722710 DOI: 10.1080/17512433.2023.2259306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Metabolic syndrome (MetS), i.e. the cluster of cardiometabolic risk factors comprising visceral obesity, impaired glucose metabolism, arterial hypertension and atherogenic dyslipidemia, is prevalent globally and exacts a heavy toll on health care expenditures. AREAS COVERED The pathophenotypes of individual traits of the MetS in adults are discussed first, with strong emphasis on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and sex differences. Next, I discuss recent studies on phenotypic and outcome heterogeneity of the MetS, highlighting the role of NAFLD, sex, reproductive status, and depressive disorders. In the second half of the article, the therapeutic implications of the variable MetS types and features are analyzed, focusing on the most recent developments, and guidelines. EXPERT OPINION I have identified physiological, pathological, social and medical sources of phenotypical heterogeneity in the MetS and its constitutive traits. Improved understanding of these variables may be utilized in the setting of future precision medicine approaches in the field of metabolic disorders and target organ damage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amedeo Lonardo
- Operating Unit of Metabolic Syndrome, Azienda Ospedaliero-Unversitaria di Modena, Ospedale Civile di Baggiovara, Baggiovara, Modena, Italy
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Alonso-Peña M, Del Barrio M, Peleteiro-Vigil A, Jimenez-Gonzalez C, Santos-Laso A, Arias-Loste MT, Iruzubieta P, Crespo J. Innovative Therapeutic Approaches in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: When Knowing Your Patient Is Key. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:10718. [PMID: 37445895 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241310718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Revised: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/24/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) encompasses a spectrum of disorders ranging from simple steatosis to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Hepatic steatosis may result from the dysfunction of multiple pathways and thus multiple molecular triggers involved in the disease have been described. The development of NASH entails the activation of inflammatory and fibrotic processes. Furthermore, NAFLD is also strongly associated with several extra-hepatic comorbidities, i.e., metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease. Due to the heterogeneity of NAFLD presentations and the multifactorial etiology of the disease, clinical trials for NAFLD treatment are testing a wide range of interventions and drugs, with little success. Here, we propose a narrative review of the different phenotypic characteristics of NAFLD patients, whose disease may be triggered by different agents and driven along different pathophysiological pathways. Thus, correct phenotyping of NAFLD patients and personalized treatment is an innovative therapeutic approach that may lead to better therapeutic outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Alonso-Peña
- Gastroenterology and Hepatology Department, Clinical and Translational Research in Digestive Diseases, Valdecilla Research Institute (IDIVAL), Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital, 39011 Santander, Spain
| | - Maria Del Barrio
- Gastroenterology and Hepatology Department, Clinical and Translational Research in Digestive Diseases, Valdecilla Research Institute (IDIVAL), Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital, 39011 Santander, Spain
| | - Ana Peleteiro-Vigil
- Gastroenterology and Hepatology Department, Clinical and Translational Research in Digestive Diseases, Valdecilla Research Institute (IDIVAL), Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital, 39011 Santander, Spain
| | - Carolina Jimenez-Gonzalez
- Gastroenterology and Hepatology Department, Clinical and Translational Research in Digestive Diseases, Valdecilla Research Institute (IDIVAL), Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital, 39011 Santander, Spain
| | - Alvaro Santos-Laso
- Gastroenterology and Hepatology Department, Clinical and Translational Research in Digestive Diseases, Valdecilla Research Institute (IDIVAL), Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital, 39011 Santander, Spain
| | - Maria Teresa Arias-Loste
- Gastroenterology and Hepatology Department, Clinical and Translational Research in Digestive Diseases, Valdecilla Research Institute (IDIVAL), Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital, 39011 Santander, Spain
| | - Paula Iruzubieta
- Gastroenterology and Hepatology Department, Clinical and Translational Research in Digestive Diseases, Valdecilla Research Institute (IDIVAL), Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital, 39011 Santander, Spain
| | - Javier Crespo
- Gastroenterology and Hepatology Department, Clinical and Translational Research in Digestive Diseases, Valdecilla Research Institute (IDIVAL), Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital, 39011 Santander, Spain
- Biomedical Research Networking Center in Hepatic and Digestive Diseases (CIBERehd), 28029 Madrid, Spain
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