A groundbreaking study published in Cell Metabolism has revealed that a hormone called FGF21 can reverse the effects of fatty liver disease in mice.
The research was led by Dr. Matthew Potthoff from the University of Oklahoma and may help guide the development of new drugs currently in late-stage clinical trials.
Fatty liver disease, now known as MASLD (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease), occurs when too much fat builds up in the liver. In severe cases, it can progress to MASH (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis), which includes liver inflammation, fibrosis (scarring), and can eventually lead to cirrhosis.
Currently, only one medication has been approved by the FDA to treat MASH, making the search for new treatments urgent. MASLD affects an estimated 40% of people worldwide.
FGF21, or fibroblast growth factor 21, is a hormone made by the liver. The study found that this hormone can send powerful signals to the brain that help the liver function better.
In mice, FGF21 was able to reduce the fat in the liver and even reverse fibrosis. Interestingly, this effect happened even while the mice continued eating a fatty diet that typically causes liver damage.
Dr. Potthoff explained that FGF21 works in two main ways. First, it sends a message to the brain, which then changes nerve activity that helps protect the liver. Second, it sends a more direct signal to the liver itself, which helps lower cholesterol. Both signals play an important role, but the majority of the benefits seem to come from the signal to the brain.
“It’s a feedback loop,” Potthoff said. “The hormone tells the brain what’s happening in the body, and then the brain responds in a way that helps the liver. This brain-liver connection is key.”
FGF21 is similar in action to another class of popular medications: GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, which are used for weight loss and diabetes.
Both FGF21 and GLP-1 are hormones made in other parts of the body (GLP-1 from the intestine, FGF21 from the liver), but they both act through the brain to regulate metabolism. This type of signaling appears to be a powerful way to treat metabolic diseases.
The study is especially exciting because FGF21 not only helped reduce liver fat, but it also reversed the fibrosis, which is the most damaging part of fatty liver disease. And it did so without requiring a change in the mice’s unhealthy diet.
These results help explain how the hormone works and suggest that FGF21-based treatments could be even more effective in the future.
As scientists continue to test FGF21 in humans, this research gives hope that new, targeted treatments for fatty liver disease and related conditions may soon be available.
If you care about liver health, please read studies about Healthy liver, happy life: new advice for keeping your liver in top shape and findings of Ibuprofen may have significant impact on the liver.
For more about liver health, please read studies about Fatty liver disease linked to severe infections and findings of A new drug for weight loss and liver health.
The study is published in Cell Metabolism.
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