Research Article Details
| Article ID: | A14771 |
| PMID: | 29247356 |
| Source: | J Gastroenterol |
| Title: | Current and future pharmacological therapies for NAFLD/NASH. |
| Abstract: | Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most prevalent liver disease worldwide, and there is no approved pharmacotherapy. The efficacy of vitamin E and pioglitazone has been established in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a progressive form of NAFLD. GLP-1RA and SGLT2 inhibitors, which are currently approved for use in diabetes, have shown early efficacy in NASH, and also have beneficial cardiovascular or renal effects. Innovative NASH therapies include four main pathways. The first approach is targeting hepatic fat accumulation. Medications in this approach include modulation of peroxisome proliferator-activator receptors (e.g., pemafibrate, elafibranor), medications targeting farnesoid X receptor axis [obeticholic acid; OCA)], inhibitors of de novo lipogenesis (aramchol, ACC inhibitor), and fibroblast growth factor-21 analogues. A second target is oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis. This class of drug includes apoptosis signaling kinase 1 (ASK1) inhibitor and emricasan (an irreversible caspase inhibitor). A third target is intestinal microbiomes and metabolic endotoxemia. Several agents are in ongoing trials, including IMMe124, TLR4 antagonist, and solithromycin (macrolide antibiotics). The final target is hepatic fibrosis, which is strongly associated with all-cause or liver-related mortality in NASH. Antifibrotic agents are a cysteine-cysteine motif chemokine receptor-2/5 antagonist (cenicriviroc; CVC) and galectin 3 antagonist. Among a variety of medications in development, four agents such as OCA, elafibranor, ASK1 inhibitor, and CVC are currently being evaluated in an international phase 3 trial for the treatment of NASH. Within the next few years, the availability of therapeutic options for NASH will hopefully curb the rising trend of NASH-related diseases. |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s00535-017-1415-1 |
| Strategy ID | Therapy Strategy | Synonyms | Therapy Targets | Therapy Drugs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S03 | Anti-fibrosis | fibrosis | Angiotensin Receptor Blocker (ARB); CCR2/CCR5 antagonist; Thyroid receptor β agonist; PEGylated human FGF21 analogue; Monoclonal antibody to lysyl oxidase-like 2 (LOXL2); Galectin-3 inhibitor; FGF19 variant | Losartan; Cenicriviroc; VK-2809; MGL-3196; Pegbelfermin; Simtuzumab; GR-MD-02; NGM282 | Details |
| S04 | Anti-oxidative stress | oxidative stress | α-tocopherol: antioxidant | Vitamin E | Details |
| S13 | Anti-apoptosis | hepatocyte apoptosis; hepatic autophagy; apoptosis | Pan-caspase inhibitor | Emricasan | Details |
| S07 | Anti-lipogenesis | de novo lipogenesis; de novo lipogenesis; DNL; anti-lipogenic mechanisms; adipogenesis; anti-obesity | stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD-1); Acetyl-coenzyme carboxylase; acyl-CoA carboxylase inhibitor (ACC inhibitor); stearoyl Coenzyme A desaturase inhibitor (SCD inhibitor); THR-beta selective agonist; DGAT2 inhibitor; FASN inhibitor | Aramchol; Firsocostat (GS-0976); VK-2809; ION 224 | Details |
| Target ID | Target Name | GENE | Action | Class | UniProtKB ID | Entry Name | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T02 | Sodium/glucose cotransporter 2 | SLC5A2 | inhibitor | Transporter | P31639 | SC5A2_HUMAN | Details |
| T06 | Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor | GLP1R | agonist | GPCR | P43220 | GLP1R_HUMAN | Details |
| T09 | Toll-like receptor 4 | TLR4 | antagonist | Membrane receptor | O00206 | TLR4_HUMAN | Details |
| T10 | Caspase-1 | CASP1 | inhibitor | Enzyme | P29466 | CASP1_HUMAN | Details |
| T13 | Apoptosis Signal-regulating Kinase 1 | ASK1 | inhibitor | Enzyme | Q99683 | M3K5_HUMAN | Details |
| T18 | Acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1 | ACACA | inhibitor | Enzyme | Q13085 | ACACA_HUMAN | Details |
| T31 | Galectin-3 | LGALS3 | inhibitor | Enzyme | P17931 | LEG3_HUMAN | Details |
| Diseases ID | DO ID | Disease Name | Definition | Class |
|---|
| Drug ID | Drug Name | Type | DrugBank ID | Targets | Category | Latest Progress | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D579 | Emfilermin | Miscellany | -- | adipocytes | Enhance lipid metabolism | Under investigation | Details |
| D068 | Cenicriviroc | Chemical drug | DB11758 | CCR2 inhibitor; CCR5 inhibitor | Anti-fibrosis | Failed in clinical trials | Details |
| D388 | Vitamin E | Supplement | DB00163 | NR1I2; ALOX5; DGKA | Anti-inflammatory | Under clinical trials | Details |
| D549 | SGLT2 inhibitor | Chemical drug | -- | SGLT2 inhibitor | -- | Under clinical trials | Details |
| D265 | Pemafibrate | Chemical drug | DB15212 | PPARA modulator | Anti-inflammatory | Under clinical trials | Details |
| D010 | Amoxicillin | Chemical drug | DB01060 | -- | -- | Under clinical trials | Details |
| D013 | Aramchol | Chemical drug | DB11860 | SCD-1 | Enhance lipid metabolism | Under clinical trials | Details |
| D018 | Aspirin | Chemical drug | DB00945 | AKR1C1 inhibitor; PCNA downregulator | Enhance lipid metabolism | Under clinical trials | Details |
| D083 | CLA | Chemical drug | DB01211 | KCNH2; SLCO1B1; SLCO1B3 | -- | Under clinical trials | Details |
| D275 | Pioglitazone | Chemical drug | DB01132 | PPARG agonist | Improve insulin resistance | Advanced in clinical trials | Details |
| D342 | Solithromycin | Chemical drug | DB09308 | NF-kB inhibitor | Antibiotic drug, anti-inflammatory | Under clinical trials | Details |
| D119 | Elafibranor | Chemical drug | DB05187 | PPARA; PPARD; PPARG | Anti-inflammatory | Failed in clinical trials | Details |
| D248 | Obeticholic Acid | Chemical drug | DB05990 | NR1H4 activator; NR1H4 agonist; FXR agonist | Enhance lipid metabolism | Approval rejected | Details |
| D123 | Emricasan | Chemical drug | DB05408 | caspase inhibitor | Anti-inflammatory | Failed in clinical trials | Details |