Metabolic-Associated Fatty Liver Disease and the Gut Microbiota

Thomas M Barber; Petra Hanson; Martin O Weickert

doi:10.1016/j.ecl.2023.01.004

Metabolic-Associated Fatty Liver Disease and the Gut Microbiota

Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am. 2023 Sep;52(3):485-496. doi: 10.1016/j.ecl.2023.01.004. Epub 2023 Mar 1.

Authors

Thomas M Barber¹, Petra Hanson², Martin O Weickert³

Affiliations

¹ Division of Biomedical Sciences, Warwick Medical School, Clinical Sciences Research Laboratories, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire, Clifford Bridge Road, Coventry CV2 2DX, UK; Warwickshire Institute for the Study of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire, Clifford Bridge Road, Coventry CV2 2DX, UK. Electronic address: T.Barber@warwick.ac.uk.
² Division of Biomedical Sciences, Warwick Medical School, Clinical Sciences Research Laboratories, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire, Clifford Bridge Road, Coventry CV2 2DX, UK; Warwickshire Institute for the Study of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire, Clifford Bridge Road, Coventry CV2 2DX, UK.
³ Division of Biomedical Sciences, Warwick Medical School, Clinical Sciences Research Laboratories, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire, Clifford Bridge Road, Coventry CV2 2DX, UK; Warwickshire Institute for the Study of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire, Clifford Bridge Road, Coventry CV2 2DX, UK; Centre of Applied Biological & Exercise Sciences, Faculty of Health & Life Sciences, Coventry University, Coventry CV1 5FB, UK.

PMID: 37495339
DOI: 10.1016/j.ecl.2023.01.004

Abstract

As an important sequela of the burgeoning global obesity problem, metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) has gained increasing prominence recently. The gut-liver axis (GLA) provides a direct conduit to the liver for the gut microbiota and their metabolic by-products (including secondary bile acids, ethanol, and trimethylamine). These GLA-related factors, including the host inflammatory response and integrity of the gut mucosal wall, likely contribute to the pathogenesis of MAFLD. Accordingly, these GLA-related factors are targets for possible preventive and treatment strategies for MAFLD, and include probiotics, prebiotics, bile acids, short-chain fatty acids, fecal microbiota transplantation, carbon nanoparticles, and bacteriophages.

Keywords: Gut microbiota; Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease; Obesity.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Gastrointestinal Microbiome*
Humans
Liver* / metabolism
Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease*
Obesity