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World J Gastroenterol. Jul 21, 2014; 20(27): 9090-9097
Published online Jul 21, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i27.9090
Published online Jul 21, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i27.9090
Potential roles of glucagon-like peptide-1-based therapies in treating non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Ye Liu, Rui Wei, Tian-Pei Hong, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing 100191, China
Author contributions: Liu Y collected the data and drafted the article; Wei R revised the article; Hong TP designed the work and supervised the data collection and writing of the article.
Supported by Chinese National 973 Program No. 2012CB517502; and the Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education of China No. 20120001120069
Correspondence to: Tian-Pei Hong, MD, PhD, Chief, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100191, China. tpho66@bjmu.edu.cn
Telephone: +86-10-82265515 Fax: +86-10-62017700
Received: December 30, 2013
Revised: March 30, 2014
Accepted: April 30, 2014
Published online: July 21, 2014
Revised: March 30, 2014
Accepted: April 30, 2014
Published online: July 21, 2014
Core Tip
Core tip: Recently, an association of defective glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) signalling with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been documented. GLP-1-based therapies, which are well accepted in treating diabetes, are effective in improving hepatic endpoints in NAFLD. In addition to the benefits in controlling metabolic disorders, GLP-1-based agents may directly exert actions on the liver through activation of GLP-1 receptors in hepatocytes, resulting in the regulation of gene expression associated with insulin resistance and lipid metabolism, and the suppression of oxidative stress in liver cells. Therefore, GLP-1-based therapies may have potential roles in treating NAFLD.