Dapagliflozin for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objectives: A few randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have assessed the use of dapagliflozin for the treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to investigate the efficacy and safety of dapagliflozin in adults with NAFLD.Methods: We performed a comprehensive literature search of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI and ClinicalTrials.gov for RCTs that assessed the use of dapagliflozin in patients with NAFLD. Risk ratios and mean differences with 95% confidence intervals were used to synthesize the results. Two authors independently extracted the data, evaluated the study quality and calculated pooled estimates.Results: Eleven studies involving 839 patients were included. Compared with the control conditions, dapagliflozin led to a greater decrease in alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, gamma-glutamyl transferase, triglyceride, body weight, body mass index, HbA1c, and fasting plasma glucose. No difference was found between the dapagliflozin and control groups in terms of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, fibrosis 4 index, type IV collagen 7S, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance, or adverse events.Conclusions: Dapagliflozin can markedly reduce hepatic enzymes and metabolic indicators and improve body composition, indicating its potential therapeutic efficacy.

Automated summary

A systematic review and meta-analysis found that dapagliflozin can significantly reduce hepatic enzymes and metabolic indicators, improve body composition, and potentially provide therapeutic efficacy for patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).