Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the most prevalent chronic liver disease, is characterized by extremely complex pathogenetic mechanisms and multifactorial etiologies. The major pathophysiological mechanisms leading to NAFLD include oxidative stress, impaired mitochondrial metabolism, inflammation, gut microbiota, and regulation of the hepatic lipid metabolism by the brain-liver-axis. The emerging therapeutic approaches for NAFLD target the pathophysiological pathway.
These novel drugs include agonists of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs), glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists, sodium/glucose transport protein 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, farnesoid X receptor (FXR) agonists, probiotics, and symbiotics. Further research must investigate the relationship between the microbiome, liver metabolism, response to inflammation, and the systemic consequences of metabolic…
