Emerging drugs for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
BACKGROUND
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a condition of emerging relevance that includes different forms of chronic liver damage, from a simple fatty infiltration (steatosis) of hepatocytes to steatohepatitis (NASH) with fibrosis. This last form may evolve to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.


OBJECTIVE
To discuss therapeutic management of NAFLD. Theoretically, only patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) need to be treated, as only NASH may evolve to cirrhosis. Differentiation between steatosis and NASH currently requires a liver biopsy.


METHODS
We discuss different therapeutic approaches proposed in literature for patients with NAFLD.


RESULTS
The treatment of associated conditions leads to an improvement of NAFLD and NASH. No specific drug is actually present to treat liver steatosis or NASH.


CONCLUSIONS
The treatment of NAFLD depends on the individual characteristics of each patient. Diet and physical exercise may be considered a basal universal approach. Future research will discover possible specific liver drugs.
Federico
Alessandro
A
Via Alcide De Gasperi 80, 84018 Scafati (SA), Italy. alessandro.federico@unina2.it
Niosi
Marco
M
Vecchio Blanco
Camillo Del
CD
Loguercio
Carmela
C
D000818:Animals; D019610:Cytoprotection / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D015507:Drugs, Investigational / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015431:Weight Loss / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
D015507:Drugs, Investigational; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents