Research Article Details
| Article ID: | A28399 |
| PMID: | 15225167 |
| Source: | Aliment Pharmacol Ther |
| Title: | Metformin in the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis: a pilot open label trial. |
| Abstract: | BACKGROUND: Insulin sensitizing agents may be useful in treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. AIM: A pilot study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of metformin in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. METHODS: In an open labelled study, patients with histologically confirmed non-alcoholic fatty liver disease were given metformin (20 mg/kg) for 1 year. Insulin resistance (by log homeostasis assessment model analysis for insulin resistance and Quantitative Insulin Sensitivity Check Index) and post-treatment hepatic histology were compared with pre-treatment histology. RESULTS: Fifteen patients completed 1 year of treatment. During the initial 3 months, there was improvement in alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase (P-value 0.01 and 0.02, respectively) along with improvement in insulin sensitivity. However, after 3 months, there was no further improvement in insulin sensitivity and there was gradual rise in aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase back to pre-treatment levels. Among the 10 patients with post-treatment biopsy, three (33%), showed improvement in steatosis, two (20%) showed improvement in inflammation score and one (10%) showed improvement in fibrosis. CONCLUSION: Metformin treatment was associated with only a transient improvement in liver chemistries. A progressive, sustainable reduction in insulin sensitivity was not noted during treatment. |
| DOI: | 10.1111/j.1365-2036.2004.02025.x |
| Strategy ID | Therapy Strategy | Synonyms | Therapy Targets | Therapy Drugs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S01 | Improve insulin resistance | insulin sensitizer; insulin resistance; glucose tolerance | Biguanide: increases 5-AMP activated protein kinase signaling; SGLT-2 inhibitor; Thiazalidinedione: selective PPAR-γ agonists; GLP-1 agonist | Metformin; Empagliflozin; Canagliflozin; Rosiglitazone; Pioglitazone; Liraglutide | Details |
| 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 |
| Target ID | Target Name | GENE | Action | Class | UniProtKB ID | Entry Name |
|---|
| Diseases ID | DO ID | Disease Name | Definition | Class | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I05 | 9352 | Type 2 diabetes mellitus | A diabetes that is characterized by chronic hyperglycaemia with disturbances of carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism resulting from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action, or both. A diabetes mellitus that is characterized by high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and relative lack of insulin. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diabetes, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diabetes_mellitus_type_2 | disease of metabolism/inherited metabolic disorder/ carbohydrate metabolic disorder/glucose metabolism disease/diabetes/ diabetes mellitus | Details |
| Drug ID | Drug Name | Type | DrugBank ID | Targets | Category | Latest Progress | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D225 | Metformin | Chemical drug | DB00331 | PRKAB1 inducer activator; ETEDH inhibitor; GPD1 inhibitor | Improve insulin resistance | Under clinical trials | Details |
| D199 | L-alanine | Chemical drug | DB00160 | KYNU | -- | Failed in clinical trials | Details |
| D182 | Insulin | Biological drug | DB00030 | INSR agonist; CPE modulator&product of | -- | Under clinical trials | Details |
| D316 | S-adenosyl-L-methionine | Chemical drug | DB00118 | GNMT cofactor | Antiviral | Under clinical trials | Details |
| D157 | Glucophage | Chemical drug | DB00331 | -- | -- | Under clinical trials | Details |