Khaberni - A new study conducted on mice with fatty liver disease has shown that "GLP-1" medications do not only benefit weight reduction but may also have a direct impact in improving liver health and reducing inflammation.
According to the study, it was previously believed that liver cells lacked the receptors targeted by these drugs, suggesting that their hepatic effect was indirect and primarily linked to obesity treatment. However, researchers found that a specific type of liver cells known as sinusoidal endothelial liver cells indeed possess receptors for the drug Semaglutide, which is marketed by "Novo Nordisk" under the names "Ozempic" for diabetes treatment and "Wegovy" for weight loss.
These cells, known as sinusoidal endothelial liver cells, constitute about 3% of total liver cells and play a role in filtering the exchanged substances between the liver and blood stream. The researchers concluded that Semaglutide modifies gene activity within these cells, prompting them to secrete molecules that help reduce inflammation throughout the liver.
The research team stated that previous clinical trial results have shown that some patients who lost a minimal amount of weight achieved improvements comparable to others in liver inflammation, scarring, and liver enzymes indicators, which could be explained by these new findings.
The study was published in the journal "Cell Metabolism", while the researchers emphasized that weight loss remains an important factor for health improvement, but it is not the only indicator of the effectiveness of this category of drugs in supporting liver health.
