Pharmacologic inhibition of lipogenesis for the treatment of NAFLD

The hepatic accumulation of excess triglycerides is a seminal event in the initiation and progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Hepatic steatosis occurs when the hepatic accrual of fatty acids by uptake from the plasma and by de novo lipogenesis (DNL) is no longer balanced by rates of fatty acid oxidation and by secretion as VLDL triglycerides. Accumulating data indicate that increased rates of DNL are central to the development of hepatic steatosis in NAFLD. Whereas the main drivers in NAFLD are transcriptional, owing to both hyperinsulinemia and hyperglycemia, the effectors of DNL are a series of well characterized enzymes.
Source: Journal of Hepatology - Category: Gastroenterology Authors: Tags: Review Source Type: research