Efficacy of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor agonists, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, or sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors for treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a systematic review

Summary

There are no licensed treatments for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), but three different classes of antihyperglycaemic drugs—peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) agonists, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists, and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors—show promise in the treatment of the disease. We did a systematic review of randomised controlled trials examining the efficacy of PPAR agonists, GLP-1R agonists, or SGLT2 inhibitors for specifically treating NAFLD in adults with or without type 2 diabetes. A total of 25 active-controlled or placebo-controlled trials met our inclusion criteria: eight for PPAR agonists, ten for GLP-1R agonists, and seven for SGLT2 inhibitors. 2597 individuals (1376 [53%] men vs 1221 [47%] women; mean age 52 years (SD 6); mean BMI 32 kg/m² (SD 3); 1610 [62%] with type 2 diabetes) were included. Pioglitazone, lanifibranor, and GLP1-R agonists (mostly liraglutide and semaglutide) improved individual histological features of NASH (ie, steatosis, ballooning, lobular inflammation) or achieved resolution of NASH without worsening of fibrosis. SGLT2 inhibitors (mostly empagliflozin and dapagliflozin) reduced liver fat content, as assessed by magnetic resonance-based techniques.