Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
V. Ratziu, L. de Guevara, R. Safadi, F. Poordad, F. Fuster, J. Flores-Figueroa, M. Arrese, Anna L. Fracanzani, D. Ben Bashat, K. Lackner, T. Gorfine, S. Kadosh, R. Oren, M. Halperin, L. Hayardeny, R. Loomba, S. Friedman, Arun J. Sanyal
Summary: Aramchol showed potential improvements in liver steatosis and fibrosis in NASH patients, but did not significantly reduce hepatic triglycerides. However, it demonstrated positive effects on liver histology and ALT levels in the clinical trial.
Review
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Evangelia Makri, Antonis Goulas, Stergios A. Polyzos
Summary: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease, with its prevalence rising due to increasing rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes. The pathogenesis of NAFLD is not fully understood, with factors such as adipokines, gut microbiota, and genetic predisposition playing a role in addition to weight gain and insulin resistance. Liver biopsy is currently the gold standard for diagnosis and staging, but early use of noninvasive biomarkers is essential for identifying patients at different stages of the disease.
ARCHIVES OF MEDICAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Batuhan Yenilmez, Nicole Wetoska, Mark Kelly, Dimas Echeverria, Kyounghee Min, Lawrence Lifshitz, Julia F. Alterman, Matthew R. Hassler, Samuel Hildebrand, Chloe DiMarzio, Nicholas McHugh, Lorenc Vangjeli, Jacquelyn Sousa, Meixia Pan, Xianlin Han, Michael A. Brehm, Anastasia Khvorova, Michael P. Czech
Summary: Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a severe liver disorder with no approved therapeutics available. In this study, RNAi-based therapy targeting the enzyme DGAT2 showed potential in improving the fatty liver phenotype, but had limited impact on inflammation and fibrosis.
Review
Cell Biology
Amila Iriskic Atic, Maja Thiele, Alexander Munk, Louise Torp Dalgaard
Summary: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) secreted by the liver have the potential to be important biomarkers for nonalcoholic liver disease (NAFLD) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Several miRNAs, including miR-122, miR-21, miR-34a, miR-192, miR-193, and the miR-17-92 miRNA-cluster, are consistently associated with NAFLD/NASH. These miRNAs show potential as diagnostic markers for NAFLD/NASH, although more research is needed to understand their specificity and regulation.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-CELL PHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Mengjie Kong, Yan Peng, Liyan Qiu
Summary: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common chronic liver disease worldwide, but there is no FDA-approved drug for its treatment. This study designed oligochitosan-derivated nanovesicles to deliver an FXR agonist and miR-34a antagomir for NAFLD treatment. The nanovesicles effectively reduced lipid deposition in cells and showed promising results in NAFLD mice models. The study also demonstrated the activation of SIRT1 through the FXR/miR-34a/SIRT1 regulatory loop.
ACTA BIOMATERIALIA
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Cheng Mo, Xiaoqing Xu, Pan Zhang, Yihong Peng, Xinpeng Zhao, Shijia Chen, Fang Guo, Yating Xiong, Xin-Jie Chu, Xiaodong Xu
Summary: The farnesoid X receptor (FXR) is a ligand-activated nuclear receptor that affects the expressions of genes involved in bile acid metabolism, inflammation, fibrosis, and lipid and glucose homeostasis. Developing FXR agonists for treating NASH and other FXR-related diseases is of great interest. This study describes the design, optimization, and characterization of a series of nonbile acid FXR agonists known as N-methylene-piperazinyl derivatives. Compound 23, or HPG1860, is a potent FXR agonist with high selectivity, favorable pharmacokinetics, and in vivo activity demonstrated in animal models, and it is currently in phase II clinical development for NASH patients.
JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Quentin M. Anstee, Kathryn J. Lucas, Sven Francque, Manal F. Abdelmalek, Arun J. Sanyal, Vlad Ratziu, Adrian C. Gadano, Mary Rinella, Michael Charlton, Rohit Loomba, Edward Mena, Joern M. Schattenberg, Mazen Noureddin, Donald Lazas, George B. B. Goh, Shiv K. Sarin, Yusuf Yilmaz, Miljen Martic, Rowan Stringer, Jossy Kochuparampil, Li Chen, Gerardo Rodriguez-Araujo, Elaine Chng, Nikolai V. Naoumov, Clifford Brass, Marcos C. Pedrosa
Summary: This study assessed the safety and efficacy of the combined treatment of tropifexor and cenicriviroc for NASH, compared to monotherapy. The combination treatment did not show substantial incremental efficacy compared to monotherapy.
Review
Immunology
Ke-qian Chen, Bo-yi Ke, Lu Cheng, Xiao-qing Yu, Zong-bao Wang, Shu-zhi Wang
Summary: With the development of the social economy, unhealthy living habits and eating styles are gradually affecting people's health in recent years. NAFLD, as a chronic liver disease, has become an increasingly serious public health problem due to these factors. Inflammasomes, as a protein complex, play a crucial role in the development of NAFLD and other diseases.
INTERNATIONAL IMMUNOPHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Philip N. Newsome, Kristine Buchholtz, Kenneth Cusi, Martin Linder, Takeshi Okanoue, Vlad Ratziu, Arun J. Sanyal, Anne-Sophie Sejling, Stephen A. Harrison
Summary: This phase 2 trial demonstrated that treatment with semaglutide resulted in a significantly higher percentage of patients with NASH resolution compared to placebo in patients with NASH, but did not show a significant between-group difference in the percentage of patients with an improvement in fibrosis stage.
NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Georgiana-Diana Cazac, Cristina-Mihaela Lacatusu, Gabriela Stefanescu, Catalina Mihai, Elena-Daniela Grigorescu, Alina Onofriescu, Bogdan-Mircea Mihai
Summary: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease worldwide, especially among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Currently, there are no approved pharmacologic therapies for NAFLD. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) are being evaluated as potential candidates for NAFLD treatment in T2DM patients. Some GLP-1RAs have shown potential benefits in reducing hepatic steatosis, improving nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) lesions, and slowing down fibrosis progression in NAFLD patients.
Editorial Material
Medicine, General & Internal
Guadalupe Garcia-Tsao
Summary: NASH has become the main cause of cirrhosis and liver transplantation, unlike hepatitis C which is a liver-specific disorder. It is a complex metabolic disorder that requires finding alternative therapies and defining response to treatment, with diagnosis established through liver biopsy samples.
NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Junxiao Li, Chuhe Liu, Zhenyu Zhou, Baokai Dou, Jinwen Huang, Leilei Huang, Peiyong Zheng, Shengjie Fan, Cheng Huang
Summary: ITG has shown promising therapeutic effects in improving hepatic steatosis, inflammation, fibrosis, and cholestatic liver injury in different mouse models, suggesting its potential as a novel therapy for NASH, hepatic fibrosis, or primary biliary cholangitis.
PHYTOTHERAPY RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Kanokwan Pinyopornpanish, Wael Al-Yaman, Robert S. Butler, William Carey, Arthur McCullough, Carlos Romero-Marrero
Summary: The study found that patients with NASH and bridging fibrosis have a low risk of HCC, while dose-dependent statin use significantly reduces the risk of HCC in patients with NASH cirrhosis.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY
(2021)
Review
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Kalliopi Pafili, Michael Roden
Summary: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterized by hepatic alterations with increased lipid accumulation, mainly influenced by global obesity and diabetes epidemics. Recent studies have suggested that certain conditions, such as severe insulin-resistant diabetes (SIRD) subgroup and an increasing number of gene variants, predispose individuals to a higher risk of NAFLD and its accelerated progression.
MOLECULAR METABOLISM
(2021)
Article
Toxicology
Tianwei Zhang, Shanshan Feng, Jiahuan Li, Zhitao Wu, Qiangqiang Deng, Wei Yang, Jing Li, Guoyu Pan
Summary: This study found that FXR agonists, obeticholic acid (OCA) and Px-102, reduced mitochondrial function in hepatocytes and promoted cell apoptosis. Inhibiting FXR or SHP genes alleviated the cytotoxic effects of OCA and Px-102. The dose-related liver damage caused by OCA and Px-102 was confirmed in a high-fat diet mouse model. OCA or Px-102 led to a decrease in hepatocyte-specific genes and augmenter of liver regeneration in the liver.
ARCHIVES OF TOXICOLOGY
(2022)
Meeting Abstract
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
K. Tziomalos, I. Gkougkourelas, A. Sarantopoulos, E. Bekiari, N. Raptis, E. Makri, K. Tselios, M. Pantoura, A. Hatzitolios, P. Boura
Meeting Abstract
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
K. Tziomalos, I. Gkougkourelas, A. Sarantopoulos, E. Bekiari, E. Makri, N. Raptis, K. Tselios, M. Pantoura, A. Hatzitolios, P. Boura
Article
Rheumatology
Konstantinos Tziomalos, Ioannis Gkougkourelas, Alexandros Sarantopoulos, Eleni Bekiari, Evangelia Makri, Nikolaos Raptis, Konstantinos Tselios, Marianna Pantoura, Apostolos I. Hatzitolios, Panagiota Boura
RHEUMATOLOGY INTERNATIONAL
(2017)
Review
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Evangelia Makri, Antonis Goulas, Stergios A. Polyzos
Summary: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease, with its prevalence rising due to increasing rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes. The pathogenesis of NAFLD is not fully understood, with factors such as adipokines, gut microbiota, and genetic predisposition playing a role in addition to weight gain and insulin resistance. Liver biopsy is currently the gold standard for diagnosis and staging, but early use of noninvasive biomarkers is essential for identifying patients at different stages of the disease.
ARCHIVES OF MEDICAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Evangelia S. Makri, Antonis Goulas, Stergios A. Polyzos
Summary: NAFLD is a common liver disease with potentially severe consequences, and pharmacological therapy is still lacking. SGLT-2 inhibitors show promising potential for treating NAFLD, especially in improving liver function.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Christina Tontikidou, Evangelia S. Makri, Kleo Evripidou, Dimitrios G. Goulis, Antonis Goulas, Stergios A. Polyzos
Summary: Overall, there was no significant difference in total adiponectin concentrations between NAFLD patients with and without liver fibrosis. However, after excluding specific populations and methods, it was found that adiponectin concentrations were lower in NAFLD patients with fibrosis among adult patients.
JOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Health Care Sciences & Services
Evangelia S. Makri, Eleftheria Makri, Stergios A. Polyzos
Summary: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a prevalent disease associated with various comorbidities, leading to a socioeconomic burden. Despite the lack of approved pharmacological treatment for NAFLD, combination therapies may be a rational alternative due to the multifaceted pathophysiology of the disease.
JOURNAL OF PERSONALIZED MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Evangelia Makri, Marina Kita, Antonis Goulas, Paraskevi Papaioannidou, Zoe A. Efstathiadou, Fotini Adamidou, Stergios A. Polyzos
DIABETES & METABOLIC SYNDROME-CLINICAL RESEARCH & REVIEWS
(2020)
Review
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Evangelia Makri, Konstantinos Tziomalos
MINERVA ENDOCRINOLOGICA
(2017)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Maria Hassapidou, Themistoklis Tzotzas, Evangelia Makri, Ioannis Pagkalos, Ioannis Kaklamanos, Efthymios Kapantais, Annet Abrahamian, Antonis Polymeris, Konstantinos Tziomalos
