For decades, scientists have been looking for ways to tackle fatty liver disease, a condition that quietly affects a large number of people around the world. Now, a new study suggests that a hormone naturally produced in the body might be the key and it seems the brain plays a much bigger role than expected.
Researchers from the University of Oklahoma have found that the hormone FGF21 can not only reduce fat in the liver of mice but also help reverse liver scarring, or fibrosis. It works by sending a signal to the brain first, which then sends protective instructions back to the liver.
“Fatty liver disease, or MASLD (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease), is a buildup of fat in the liver,” explained Matthew Potthoff, Ph.D., lead author of the study. “It can progress to MASH (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis) during which fibrosis and, ultimately, cirrhosis can occur. MASLD is becoming a very big problem in the United States, affecting 40% of people worldwide.”
At present, only one drug has FDA approval to treat the advanced form of this disease. But FGF21-based treatments are already showing promising results in clinical trials.
“It’s a feedback loop where the hormone sends a signal to the brain, and the brain changes nerve activity to the liver to protect it,” said Potthoff. While the hormone also acts directly on the liver, most of its power seems to come from that brain-liver conversation.
That’s what makes FGF21 especially interesting as it acts a bit like GLP-1 drugs, which help with weight loss by signaling the brain to curb appetite. Both hormones come from different parts of the body (GLP-1 from the gut, FGF21 from the liver), but they both rely on brain signals to get their work done.
“FGF21 is quite powerful because it not only led to a reduction of fat, but it also mediated the reversal of fibrosis, which is the pathological part of the disease, and it did so while the mice were still eating a diet that would cause the disease. Now, we not only understand how the hormone works, but it may guide us in creating even more targeted therapies in the future.”
In other words, this discovery could help fine-tune the next generation of treatments.
This study has been published in the journal Cell Metabolism
Source: University of Oklahoma
