Active clinical trials for "Fatty Liver"

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a multifactorial disease affecting a quarter of the world population. Pathological accumulation of fat, into the hepatocytes, is the first hit and is due to altered hepatic and extrahepatic lipogenesis, lipolysis and lipophagy of the large lipid droplets. Lipophagy plays a key role in the onset of NAFLD, in the autolysosomes, small droplets of fat are catabolized by Lysosomal Acid Lipase (LAL) enzyme which hydrolyzes cholesterol esters and triglycerides forming cholesterol and free fatty acids. Our research group demonstrated that, subjects affected by NAFLD, present a reduced enzymatic activity either compared to patients with chronic liver disease of different etiology, but comparable staging, either compared to healthy control subjects. Leukocytes are the main site of enzymatic activity in the blood, however, our research group has shown that it can also be detected inside the platelets, demonstrating how the LAL activity can be exchanged between cells. Furthermore, our group has shown, for the first time, how the intracellular enzymatic activity is reduced, independently of the platelets and leukocytes count and progressively from chronic liver disease up to cirrhosis. Among factors which contribute to altered lipid metabolism, the genetic predisposition to the accumulation of hepatic fat must be counted. Several variants of genes that code for proteins implicated in the digestion or storage of fats, are involved. In this study were considered: patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing 3 (PNPLA3), Transmembrane 6 superfamily 2 (TM6SF2) and 17β-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 13 (HSD17B13). The rs738409 variant (C> G, p.I148M) of the PNPLA3 gene consists of a protein in which the catalytic site is not entirely accessible to the substrate which, consequently, accumulates in the storage site. This variant is commonly found in NAFLD subjects and it has been widely reported how the variant carriers progress faster towards severe disease (steatohepatitis) than wild type subjects. The TM6SF2 gene encodes a membrane transporter involved in the triglycerides movement, the rs58542926 (C> T E167K) variant has been associated with an increased predisposition towards liver fibrosis in NAFLD subjects. This is likely due to the loss of protein function resulting in hepatic retention of triglycerides and cholesterol. Unlike PNPLA3 and TM6SF2, the rs72613567 (TA> TAA) variant of the HSD17B13 gene has a protective effect against NAFLD progression. It is characterized by a protein loss of function that protects against chronic liver damage and mitigates the progression of the disease although how the protective effect occurs is still under study. Due to the multifactorial etiology of the disease, to the need of carrying out a targeted surveillance in predisposed genetic subjects and, in order to prevent NALFD progression towards severe pathological forms characterized by an increased mortality, in this study, 316 subjects will be enrolled. They will be divided as follows: Italian Caucasians, aged> 18 and <70 years, with non-cirrhotic NAFLD and carriers of the PNPLA3 I148M variant, and, 158 Italian Caucasian subjects, aged> 18 and <70 years, with non-cirrhotic NAFLD and carriers of the wild type allele. The following exclusion criteria will be considered: any type of malignant disease in the past 5 years, any type of inflammatory or autoimmune disease, corticosteroids for systemic use, any type of drug that may affect body weight or body composition, insufficiency kidney (GFR <90 mL / min), heart failure (NYHA classes II-IV), any type of liver disease rather than NAFLD, excessive alcohol intake (> 140 g / week for men and 70 g / week for women), participation in a weight reduction program in the past 3 months, bile salts, cholestyramine in the last 6 months prior to enrollment, previous cholecystectomy, gallbladder disease. Peripheral blood will be withdrawn in order to measure haematic lipids (total cholesterol and fractions, triglycerides), total blood LAL activity, to perform genetic analysis and finally to evaluate lipase activity into the platelets. Hepatic elastography will be also executed, in 100 patients, according to the presence/absence of the PNPLA3 variant, in order to weigh up the genetic predisposition on NAFLD development or progression Finally, in subjects who present a lipase activity 30% lower than the normal value (0.88 ± 0.38 (mean ± SD), the methylation of the LIPA promoter will be studied.

People with liver disease report difficulties with attention and problem-solving skills. Diet plays an important role in the development of liver disease and/or pre-diabetes. The purpose of this study is to examine whether participation in a brief diet intervention (up to 3 weeks) can improve brain and liver health and function.

Increased intestinal permeability and dysbiosis have been causally associated with NAFLD and NASH progression. However, to date, there are no systematic studies, on the effect of bariatric-metabolic surgery on intestinal permeability and dysbiosis in the context of NAFLD development.

This is a Phase 2a, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group, multiple arm, multicenter study of 3 different doses of HPG1860 versus placebo in subjects with biopsy-confirmed or phenotypic NASH.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become a major health problem worldwide with an increasing prevalence ranging from 13% in Africa to 42% in South-East Asia. The term NAFLD includes a variety of diseases, ranging from liver fat deposition in more than 5% of hepatocytes (steatosis-non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL)) to necroinflammation and fibrosis (non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)), which can progress into NASH-cirrhosis, and eventually to hepatocellular carcinoma 1 Lifestyle modifications remain the cornerstone of NAFLD treatment, even though various pharmaceutical interventions are currently under clinical trial. Among them, sodium-glucose co-transporter type-2 inhibitors (SGLT-2i) are emerging as promising agents. Processes regulated by SGLT-2i, such as endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and oxidative stress, low-grade inflammation, autophagy and apoptosis are all implicated in NAFLD pathogenesis 2 In non-DM patients, only a small single center study exists which studied 12 patients under dapagliflozin and 10 patients under teneligliptin, a DPP4 inhibitor, for a total of 12 weeks, showing that after this intervention period, serum transaminases were decreased in both groups, while in the dapagliflozin group, total body water and body fat decreased, leading to decreased total body weight.3

Human microbiota is the set of microorganisms that, in a symbiotic way, coexist and develop in the different surfaces (skin and mucous membranes) of the human body. It is estimated that it is composed of approximately 10^14 bacteria and other unicellular life forms . The gastrointestinal (GI) tract is the organ in which the microbiota reaches its greatest complexity, influencing its metabolic activities in different organs and human systems. Human microbiota plays a role in multiple homeostatic and physiological functions including energy and intermediary metabolism, normal immune responses, and even appropriate bowel development and nervous system functioning. Given its vascular supply, the liver plays important roles in metabolism and immunological functions. It receives 70% of blood supply through the portal vein which carries all metabolic products derived from GI microbiota. Non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of chronic liver disease in developed countries (with an estimated prevalence around 25 - 40% of adults) and it is expected that the burden of disease will increase in the near future. This condition can progress through a spectrum of progressive liver damage to non alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), liver fibrosis, cirrhosis and liver cancer. Around 20-30% of NAFLD patients develop NASH, with a lower rate progressing further to fibrosis and cirrhosis. Currently, there is no approved pharmacological or interventional treatment for the management of this so prevalent disease, apart from changes in lifestyle aiming weight loss. The aim of the present pilot study is to assess the efficacy and safety of microbiota manipulation by means of Fecal Microbiota Transplantation in the treatment of patients with NASH.

TARGET-NASH is a longitudinal observational cohort study of patients being managed for NASH and related conditions across the entire spectrum NAFLD in usual clinical practice. TARGET-NASH is a research registry of patients with NAFL or NASH within academic and community real-world practices maintained in order to assess the safety and effectiveness of current and future therapies.

Obesity is an epidemic in the US. With progression of obesity, Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) has been a growing public health issue. Presently there is no cure for NASH.Prevention of progression of fibrosis in NASH is crucial, as they are at a high risk for cirrhosis and may need liver transplant. Recent studies have shown that blocking blood vessels to a particular portion of the stomach (bariatric or left gastric artery embolization) can temporarily decrease levels of the appetite inducing hormone ghrelin, and result in weight loss.The purpose of this study is to determine if Left gastric artery embolization (LGAE) in patients with obesity and NASH leads to clinically significant weight loss with improvement of NASH.

The primary objective of the study is to compare the changes in serum ALT level among patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) following 3-month treatment of 800 mg SNP-610 or the placebo. The secondary objectives will be to compare the changes in liver fat fraction, other liver function tests, cytokeratin-18 (CK-18) fragment level and adverse event / serious adverse event rates among the interventional and placebo arms.

GLP-1 analogues represent new treatments in diabetes that cause weight loss. Their effect on NASH in humans is unknown. A decrease in Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) has been reported in pooled Exenatide/Placebo and Liraglutide/Placebo studies. More recently, LEAN study has shown that Liraglutide will result in improvements in liver histology in patients with NASH. It should be of high interest to investigate the effect of another GLP-1 Agonist as effective as Liraglutide, i.e. Dulaglutide in NASH. Dulaglutide is one of the five GLP-1 receptor agonists approved for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). It is an effective treatment because it is dosed once-weekly, provides HbA1c reduction similar to Liraglutide, weight reduction similar to Exenatide, and has an adverse effect profile similar to other GLP-1 receptor agonists. Reduction in body weight was observed in patients treated with Dulaglutide, irrespective of nausea and/or vomiting.The search for a direct effect of Dulaglutide on liver fat overload in patients with type2 diabetes is required before considering the effectiveness of this treatment in NASH in diabetic populations. No current GLP-1 study has been designed with a control group with the same weight loss than as in the treatment group. Primary objective: The investigators aim to study the effect of Dulaglutide 1.5 mg (TRULICITY®) add-on to dietary reinforcement after 52 weeks of treatment, on the improvement of liver histology compared to dietary reinforcement alone in patients with type 2 diabetes and carriers of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. Secondary objectives: After 52 weeks of treatment, to assess the effect of dulaglutide (TRULICITY®) add-on to dietary reinforcement on Fibrosis score, Transaminase levels, body composition as measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, lipid profile, glycemic control and weight. The effect of the treatment will also be assessed on quality of life. At 24 weeks after completion of the treatment, to assess the sustainability of dulaglutide (TRULICITY®) treatment add-on to dietary reinforcement on ALT and AST rates as well as on weight.