NAFLD: Mechanisms, Treatments, and Biomarkers

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), recently renamed metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), is one of the most common causes of liver diseases worldwide. NAFLD is growing in parallel with the obesity epidemic. No pharmacological treatment is available to treat NAFLD, specifically. The reason might be that NAFLD is a multi-factorial disease with an incomplete understanding of the mechanisms involved, an absence of accurate and inexpensive imaging tools, and lack of adequate non-invasive biomarkers. NAFLD consists of the accumulation of excess lipids in the liver, causing lipotoxicity that might progress to metabolic-associated steatohepatitis (NASH), liver fibrosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. The mechanisms for the pathogenesis of NAFLD, current interventions in the management of the disease, and the role of sirtuins as potential targets for treatment are discussed here. In addition, the current diagnostic tools, and the role of non-coding RNAs as emerging diagnostic biomarkers are summarized. The availability of non-invasive biomarkers, and accurate and inexpensive non-invasive diagnosis tools are crucial in the detection of the early signs in the progression of NAFLD. This will expedite clinical trials and the validation of the emerging therapeutic treatments.

Automated summary

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), also known as metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), is a common liver disease worldwide that is closely linked to the obesity epidemic. Currently, there is no specific pharmacological treatment available for NAFLD due to incomplete understanding of its mechanisms, lack of accurate and inexpensive imaging tools, and inadequate non-invasive biomarkers. NAFLD can lead to metabolic-associated steatohepatitis (NASH), liver fibrosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma.