Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42111262›Full record

ReviewFrontiers in cell and developmental biology2026

Research progress on the mechanistic pathways and biomarkers of therapeutic drugs for metabolic-associated steatotic liver disease.

Lifen Xue, Xin Wang, Jingxin Mao

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Frontiers in cell and developmental biology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Lifen XueDepartment of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.
Xin WangTechnology Development Center, Chongqing Medical and Pharmaceutical College, Chongqing, China.
Jingxin MaoTechnology Development Center, Chongqing Medical and Pharmaceutical College, Chongqing, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objective: The incidence of metabolic-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) remains persistently high, and there is a lack of specific therapeutic drugs in clinical practice. Elucidating the mechanistic pathways of therapeutic drugs for MASLD and exploring biomarkers with high specificity and sensitivity are of great significance for the precise diagnosis and treatment of the disease. The present study aims to review the research progress in this relevant field. Methods: We systematically collated recent domestic and international literature on the mechanistic pathways of therapeutic drugs and biomarkers for MASLD, and analyzed the mechanisms of action, key signaling pathways of different therapeutic drugs, as well as the characteristics of various biomarkers. Results: Drugs for MASLD treatment mainly exert their effects by regulating lipid metabolism, ameliorating insulin resistance (IR), and inhibiting inflammation and oxidative stress. For instance, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) agonists improve lipid metabolism and IR via the PPARs signaling pathway; adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activators enhance insulin sensitivity through the AMPK signaling pathway; and anti-inflammatory drugs alleviate inflammatory injury by inhibiting the nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) signaling pathway. Relevant biomarkers include metabolomic biomarkers (lipidome, amino acidome, etc.), inflammatory biomarkers (tumor necrosis factor-α[TNF-α], interleukin-6 [IL-6], etc.), liver fibrosis biomarkers (procollagen type III [Pro-C3], enhanced liver fibrosis [ELF] score, etc.) and non-coding RNA biomarkers, each exhibiting distinct values in disease diagnosis and therapeutic efficacy evaluation. Conclusion: At present, the core mechanistic pathways of a variety of MASLD therapeutic drugs and potential biomarkers have been identified, yet problems such as insufficient targeting in drug research and development and difficulties in the clinical translation of biomarkers still exist. In the future, it is necessary to further deepen mechanistic research, promote the development of precision therapeutic drugs and the clinical application of biomarkers, so as to provide more reliable theoretical and practical support for the diagnosis and treatment of MASLD.

Indexed as

biomarkersmechanistic pathwaysmetabolic-associatedsteatohepatitismetabolic-associated steatotic liver diseasetherapeutic drugs

Identifiers

PMID42111262
PMCPMC13149283

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