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Recent updates on targeting the molecular mediators of NAFLD

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Abstract

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is rapidly becoming the most common disease worldwide in an era of rapid economic growth. NAFLD is a multifactorial disease, involving multiple genetic, metabolic, and environmental factors, and is closely associated with metabolic syndrome, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. NAFLD can be classified into nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFL) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which can both progress to cirrhosis and even hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Due to the enormous burden of NAFLD and its complications, no FDA-approved drugs for the treatment of NAFLD are on the market, and therapeutic targets and drug therapies are being actively investigated. In view of the various pathological mechanisms of NAFLD, numbers of preclinical studies and clinical trials have made rapid progress. This review mainly summarizes the most recently characterized mechanisms and therapeutic targets in each mechanism of NAFLD, focusing on the mechanism and application potential.

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Funding

This work was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation of China (81970364, 81770053, 82170595, 81970070, 81870171, 82170436), and the Hubei Province Innovation Platform Construction Project (20204201117303072238).

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  1. Jia Wang and Lei Wang contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cardiology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Luojia Mount Wuchang, Wuhan, China

    Jia Wang, Zhi-Gang She & Hongliang Li

  2. Institute of Model Animal, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China

    Jia Wang, Xiao-Jing Zhang, Peng Zhang, Jingjing Cai, Zhi-Gang She & Hongliang Li

  3. Department of Neurosurgery, Huanggang Central Hospital of Yangtze University, Huanggang, China

    Lei Wang

  4. Translation Medicine Research Center, Yangtze University, Huanggang, China

    Lei Wang & Hongliang Li

  5. School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China

    Xiao-Jing Zhang & Peng Zhang

  6. Department of Cardiology, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Changsha, China

    Jingjing Cai

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Wang, J., Wang, L., Zhang, XJ. et al. Recent updates on targeting the molecular mediators of NAFLD. J Mol Med 101, 101–124 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00109-022-02282-4

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