Drug That Lowers Blood Lipids Shows Promise in Treating Common Liver Disease: Study

The University of Barcelona has led a study that suggested using the drug known as 'Pemafibrate' to treat liver disease associated with metabolic disorders, the most common liver pathology in the world, which affects one in four people. The drug has long been marketed for another use: improving blood lipid levels in patients with hyperlipidemia, a common condition in diabetics.

Now, the study, carried out on laboratory animal models and published in the journal Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, could help address this serious liver disease, which still has no specific treatment.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), formerly known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, is a complex condition that can lead to severe liver issues like cirrhosis, liver cancer, or liver failure. This disease often shows no clear symptoms and can progress for many years unnoticed.

Currently, Pemafibrate is used to manage blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels, a condition known as dyslipidemia. According to a new study, Pemafibrate could also be repurposed to treat MASLD. This approach, known as drug repositioning, involves using existing and approved medications for new medical conditions. This strategy helps fully utilize the potential of drugs and reduces the time and cost needed to develop new treatments for diseases that currently lack effective therapies.

In the study, using female rats with liver disease, Pemafibrate was found to prevent the development of fatty liver, increase the breakdown of fatty acids, and improve cholesterol clearance in the liver.

This drug, which has a good safety profile, works by activating a receptor called PPAR-α, which boosts the liver's ability to oxidize fatty acids. This process is essential for breaking down triglycerides and cholesterol, which can build up in the liver and cause disease.

The findings also highlighted the importance of considering sex differences in chronic diseases, potentially reducing gender bias in research.

Overall, Pemafibrate shows promise as a new treatment for liver disease.

“To our knowledge, this drug has not been used in the context of pharmacological repositioning, apart from a few exploratory clinical studies on its effects in liver pathology. Now we want to study its efficacy and safety in experimental models of more advanced liver disease, with the presence of inflammation and fibrosis in metabolic associated steatohepatitis (MASH),” said Professor Juan Carlos Laguna, from the Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutic Chemistry.

Reference: Bentanachs, R., et al. (2024). Pemafibrate abrogates SLD in a rat experimental dietary model, inducing a shift in fecal bile acids and microbiota composition. Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy. doi.org/10.1016/j.biopha.2024.117067.