Research Article Details
Article ID: | A04068 |
PMID: | 33771699 |
Source: | Pharmacol Res |
Title: | Epigenetics in NAFLD/NASH: Targets and therapy. |
Abstract: | Recently non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has grabbed considerable scientific attention, owing to its rapid increase in prevalence worldwide and growing burden on end-stage liver diseases. Metabolic syndrome including obesity, diabetes, and hypertension poses a grave risk to NAFLD etiology and progression. With no drugs available, the mainstay of NAFLD management remains lifestyle changes with exercise and dietary modifications. Nonselective drugs such as metformin, thiazolidinediones (TZDs), ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), silymarin, etc., are also being used to target the interrelated pathways for treating NAFLD. Considering the enormous disease burden and the unmet need for drugs, fresh insights into pathogenesis and drug discovery are required. The emergence of the field of epigenetics offers a convincing explanation for the basis of lifestyle, environmental, and other risk factors to influence NAFLD pathogenesis. Therefore, understanding these epigenetic modifications to target the primary cause of the disease might prove a rational strategy to prevent the disease and develop novel therapeutic interventions. Apart from describing the role of epigenetics in the pathogenesis of NAFLD as in other reviews, this review additionally provides an elaborate discussion on exploiting the high plasticity of epigenetic modifications in response to environmental cues, for developing novel therapeutics for NAFLD. Besides, this extensive review provides evidence for epigenetic mechanisms utilized by several potential drugs for NAFLD. |
DOI: | 10.1016/j.phrs.2021.105484 |

Target ID | Target Name | GENE | Action | Class | UniProtKB ID | Entry Name |
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Diseases ID | DO ID | Disease Name | Definition | Class | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
I12 | 10763 | Hypertension | An artery disease characterized by chronic elevated blood pressure in the arteries. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypertension, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24352797 | disease of anatomical entity/ cardiovascular system disease/vascular disease/ artery disease | Details |
I14 | 9970 | Obesity | An overnutrition that is characterized by excess body fat, traditionally defined as an elevated ratio of weight to height (specifically 30 kilograms per meter squared), has_material_basis_in a multifactorial etiology related to excess nutrition intake, decreased caloric utilization, and genetic susceptibility, and possibly medications and certain disorders of metabolism, endocrine function, and mental illness. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obesity | disease of metabolism/acquired metabolic disease/ nutrition disease/overnutrition | 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 |
D131 | Ezetimibe | Chemical drug | DB00973 | SOAT1 inhibitor; | Enhance lipid metabolism | Under clinical trials | Details |
D388 | Vitamin E | Supplement | DB00163 | NR1I2; ALOX5; DGKA | Anti-inflammatory | Under clinical trials | Details |
D579 | Emfilermin | Miscellany | -- | adipocytes | Enhance lipid metabolism | Under investigation | Details |
D301 | Resveratrol | Chemical drug | DB02709 | ALOX15; ALOX5; AHR; NR1I2; NR1I3 | Anticancer agent | Under clinical trials | Details |
D366 | Thiazolidinediones | Chemical drug | DB11898 | -- | -- | Under clinical trials | Details |
D207 | Liraglutide | Biological drug | DB06655 | GLP1R activator; GLP1R agonist; GCG receptor antagonist activity | Improve insulin resistance | Under clinical trials | Details |
D080 | Citrulline | Chemical drug | DB00155 | -- | -- | Under clinical trials | Details |
D305 | Rimonabant | Chemical drug | DB06155 | CNR1 antagonist | Antialcoholic drug; CNS drug | Under clinical trials | Details |
D336 | Silymarin | Biological drug | DB14375 | -- | Antiviral; Antioxidant; Antifibrotic; Anti-inflammatory | Under clinical trials | Details |
D338 | Sitagliptin | Chemical drug | DB01261 | DPP4 inhibitor | Antidiabetic drug | Under clinical trials | Details |
D381 | Ursodeoxycholic acid | Chemical drug | DB01586 | AKR1C2 inducer | Anti-inflammatory | Under clinical trials | Details |
D157 | Glucophage | Chemical drug | DB00331 | -- | -- | Under clinical trials | Details |
D406 | Gemfibrozil | Chemical drug | DB01241 | PPARA agonist; SLCO1B1 inhibitor; SLC22A8 inhibitor; SLCO2B1 inhibitor; SLCO1B3 inhibitor | Hypolipidemic drug | Under investigation | Details |
D029 | Berberine | Chemical drug | DB04115 | AMPK activator | Improve insulin resistance | Under clinical trials | Details |