TY - JOUR
T1 - Targeting metabolism, insulin resistance, and diabetes to treat nonalcoholic steatohepatitis
AU - Finck, Brian N.
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding. Work in the laboratory of B.N.F. is supported by National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (R01 DK104735). Duality of Interest. B.N.F. is a shareholder and member of the scientific advisory board for Cirius Therapeutics. No other potential conflicts of interest relevant to this article were reported.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 by the American Diabetes Association. Readers may use this article as long as the work is properly cited, the use is educational and not for profit, and the work is not altered. More information is available at http://www.diabetesjournals.org/content/license.
PY - 2018/12/1
Y1 - 2018/12/1
N2 - Obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes are strongly linked to the accumulation of excessive lipids in the liver parenchyma, a condition known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Given its association with obesity and related metabolic diseases, it is not surprising that the prevalence of NAFLD has dramatically increased in the past few decades. NAFLD has become the most common liver disease in many areas of the world. The term, NAFLD, encompasses a spectrum of disorders that ranges from simple steatosis to steatosis with inflammatory lesions (nonalcoholic steatohepatitis [NASH]). Although simple steatosis might be relatively benign, epidemiologic studies have linked NASH to greatly increased risk of developing cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Yet despite this, there are no approved treatments for the disease, and it remains a significant unmet medical need. This Perspective will review some of the relevant literature on the topic and examine approved and experimental NASH therapeutic concepts that target intermediary metabolism, insulin resistance, and diabetes to treat this emerging public health problem.
AB - Obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes are strongly linked to the accumulation of excessive lipids in the liver parenchyma, a condition known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Given its association with obesity and related metabolic diseases, it is not surprising that the prevalence of NAFLD has dramatically increased in the past few decades. NAFLD has become the most common liver disease in many areas of the world. The term, NAFLD, encompasses a spectrum of disorders that ranges from simple steatosis to steatosis with inflammatory lesions (nonalcoholic steatohepatitis [NASH]). Although simple steatosis might be relatively benign, epidemiologic studies have linked NASH to greatly increased risk of developing cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Yet despite this, there are no approved treatments for the disease, and it remains a significant unmet medical need. This Perspective will review some of the relevant literature on the topic and examine approved and experimental NASH therapeutic concepts that target intermediary metabolism, insulin resistance, and diabetes to treat this emerging public health problem.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85056802343&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.2337/dbi18-0024
DO - 10.2337/dbi18-0024
M3 - Review article
C2 - 30459251
AN - SCOPUS:85056802343
SN - 0012-1797
VL - 67
SP - 2485
EP - 2493
JO - Diabetes
JF - Diabetes
IS - 12
ER -