Current Drug Targets - Volume 16, Issue 12, 2015

This review addresses two major functions of apolipoprotein (apo) A5 including (1) its role in maintaining normal plasma levels of circulating triglyceride (TG) and (2) its role as a component of hepatic lipid droplets. ApoA5 is synthesized solely in the liver and circulating concentrations are extremely low. In the plasma, ApoA5 associates with TG-rich lipoproteins and enhances TG hydrolysis and remnant lipoprotein clearance Read More

The liver is essential for the control of glucose and lipid metabolism. Excessive accumulation of fat in the liver disturbs its function and leads to the development of fatty liver diseases. The nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common type of fatty liver disease found in patients who have not consumed significant amount of alcohol. Multiple factors and cell types contribute to the development and progression of NAFLD. Di Read More

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is histologically characterized by the aberrant accumulation of lipid droplets in the liver, which is positively correlated with insulin resistance. Within the spectrum of this disease, patients can develop hepatitis and cirrhosis; i.e., non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The mechanisms responsible for the progression of NAFLD are not fully understood. Triacylglycerol (TAG), which is mainly found Read More

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) represents a broad spectrum of histological abnormalities with clinical presentations ranging from hepatic steatosis to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Some NAFLD patients may progress to cirrhosis and ultimately hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Hepatic steatosis, the hallmark of NAFLD, is defined by the accumulation of triglycerides (TGs) in more than 5% of the hepatocytes. NAS Read More

Obesity is a primary risk factor for the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD, the most common chronic liver disease in the world, represents a spectrum of disorders that range from steatosis (NAFL) to steatohepatitis (NASH) to cirrhosis. It is anticipated that NAFLD will soon surpass chronic hepatitis C infection as the leading cause for needing liver transplantation. Despite its clinical and public health Read More

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a challenge not only due to its rising prevalence but also, and perhaps more importantly, due to the lack of sustainable treatment options. Intestinal microbiota are thought to participate in the development and progression of NAFLD and their manipulation is, hence, being investigated as a treatment aim. This review summarizes the involvement of intestinal microbiota in the p Read More

The liver is unique in that it is able to regenerate. This regeneration occurs without formation of a scar in the case of non-iterative hepatic injury. However, when the liver is exposed to chronic liver injury, the purely regenerative process fails and excessive extracellular matrix proteins are deposited in place of normal liver parenchyma. While much has been discovered in the past three decades, insights into fibrotic mechan Read More

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a chronic disorder of lipid and carbohydrate metabolism and is often associated with endoplasmic reticulum stress, energy homeostasis dysregulation, and inflammation at cellular and molecular levels. Use of currently available anti-hyperlipidemia, hypoglycemia, or anti-inflammation drugs to treat NAFLD has not achieved desirable outcomes. A growing attention thu Read More

The superfamily of human ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters comprises seven subfamilies (ABCA to G) with 48 members. In addition to their profound physiological and pharmacological functions, ABC transporters play important roles in instigating multidrug resistance (MDR) in cancer by mediating the efflux of many anticancer drugs, particularly, ABCB1, ABCG2 and ABCC subfamily members. Previous development of AB Read More

Accumulation of toxic lipids is the most common etiology of insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes and associated metabolic disorders such as obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Understanding of the underlying mechanisms has revealed various opportunities to target key regulators in lipid metabolic pathways for the treatment of metabolic diseases. Here, we review the discovery and development of potential anti-diab Read More

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small single stranded non coding RNA molecules (~22 nucleotides) which impede protein production by directly interacting with 3’untranslated regions of the target mRNAs. Interestingly, miR-200c is often dysregulated in various cancers that normally exhibits tumor suppressive behavior by blocking epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) of cancer cells. However, elevation of miR-200c in various c Read More