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Pharmaceuticals
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Pharmacotherapy of Liver Fibrosis and Hepatitis: Recent Advances
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Pharmacotherapy of Liver Fibrosis and Hepatitis: Recent Advances

A special issue of Pharmaceuticals (ISSN 1424-8247). This special issue belongs to the section "Pharmacology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 March 2025 | Viewed by 3697

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Ching-Lung Lai

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty Of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Interests: viral hepatitis B; viral hepatitis C; steatosis; liver fibrosis; hepatocellular carcinoma
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

According to the World Health Organization, of the four most prevalent infectious diseases, the incidences of tuberculosis, malaria, and human immunodeficiency virus are declining (the former two since 1990; the third since 2005), and only hepatitis B and C (HBV and HCV, respectively) are continuing to rise in their incidence. These two viruses can cause severe liver fibrosis as well as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). More recently, steatotic liver disease (SLD) has also become a major cause of HCC with and without cirrhosis. There are major developments in the treatment of these diseases.

Prof. Dr. Ching-Lung Lai
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pharmaceuticals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • treatment of HBV
  • HCV
  • SLD
  • detection and prevention of liver fibrosis and HCC

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 1160 KiB  
Article
The Effects of Oral Semaglutide on Hepatic Fibrosis in Subjects with Type 2 Diabetes in Real-World Clinical Practice: A Post Hoc Analysis of the Sapporo-Oral SEMA Study
by Hiroya Kitsunai, Yuka Shinozaki, Sho Furusawa, Naoyuki Kitao, Miki Ito, Hiroyoshi Kurihara, Chiho Oba-Yamamoto, Jun Takeuchi, Akinobu Nakamura, Yumi Takiyama and Hiroshi Nomoto
Pharmaceuticals 2025, 18(1), 129; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph18010129 - 19 Jan 2025
Viewed by 647
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is an important common comorbidity in subjects with type 2 diabetes, and liver fibrosis is a factor directly related to its prognosis. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists are useful treatment options for MASLD; however, the efficacy of [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is an important common comorbidity in subjects with type 2 diabetes, and liver fibrosis is a factor directly related to its prognosis. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists are useful treatment options for MASLD; however, the efficacy of oral semaglutide in treating liver steatosis/fibrosis has not been fully elucidated. Methods: A secondary analysis of a multicenter, retrospective, observational study investigating the efficacy and safety of oral semaglutide in Japanese subjects with type 2 diabetes in a real-world clinical setting (the Sapporo-Oral SEMA study) was conducted. Subjects in the original cohort were divided into groups as follows: subjects with suspected MASLD (alanine aminotransferase > 30 U/L) were placed in an overall group; a subpopulation from an overall group at high risk for hepatic fibrosis (fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index ≥ 1.3 or platelet count < 200,000/µL) was placed in a high-risk group; and the remaining subjects were placed in a low-risk group. Changes in the hepatic steatosis index and FIB-4 index after oral semaglutide induction were explored using a paired t-test or the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results: Overall, 169 subjects (including 131 that switched from other medications) were analyzed, and 67 and 102 subjects were selected for the high-risk and low-risk groups, respectively. Oral semaglutide significantly improved the hepatic steatosis index (from 46.1 to 44.6, p < 0.001) and FIB-4 index (from 1.04 to 0.96, p < 0.001) as well as several metabolic parameters in all cohorts. The efficacy of semaglutide in treating liver fibrosis was confirmed by the addition of, and switching from, existing agent groups. Furthermore, improvement in the FIB-4 index was significantly negatively correlated with the baseline FIB-4 index. Conclusions: The induction of oral semaglutide might be a useful treatment option for subjects with type 2 diabetes at high risk for liver fibrosis, even when switching from conventional medications for diabetes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pharmacotherapy of Liver Fibrosis and Hepatitis: Recent Advances)
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17 pages, 1012 KiB  
Article
The Effect of Biologic Agents on Steatotic Liver Disease in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Prospective, Open-Label Comparative Trial
by Apostolis Papaefthymiou, Styliani Sarrou, Konstantinos Pateras, Ilias D. Vachliotis, Georgios Agrotis, Ioanna-Konstantina Sgantzou, Georgios Perifanos, Andreas Kapsoritakis, Matthaios Speletas, Marianna Vlychou, George N. Dalekos, Spyros Potamianos, Antonis Goulas, Jannis Kountouras and Stergios A. Polyzos
Pharmaceuticals 2024, 17(11), 1432; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph17111432 - 25 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1014
Abstract
Background: Biologic agents used in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) may influence the pathophysiology of coexistent metabolic-dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). This study primarily aimed to evaluate the six-month effect of infliximab or vedolizumab vs. no biologics on presumed hepatic steatosis [...] Read more.
Background: Biologic agents used in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) may influence the pathophysiology of coexistent metabolic-dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). This study primarily aimed to evaluate the six-month effect of infliximab or vedolizumab vs. no biologics on presumed hepatic steatosis in patients with IBD. Secondary endpoints were their effect on hepatic fibrosis and parameters related to hepatic metabolism. Methods: This prospective, non-randomized, controlled trial assigned adult bio-naïve patients with IBD into three groups: infliximab, vedolizumab, or controls (receiving no biologic). The baseline was the time of the initiation of biologic agents and the endpoint six months later. Hepatic steatosis was evaluated with transabdominal ultrasonography (Hamaguchi score), whereas controlled attenuation parameter (CAP), fatty liver index (FLI), and hepatic steatosis index (HSI) were used as surrogates. Hepatic fibrosis was evaluated with liver stiffness (LS), fibrosis-4 index (FIB-4), and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) fibrosis score. Results: Sixty-six patients were assigned to infliximab (n = 26), vedolizumab (n = 14), or control (n = 26); At the endpoint, the Hamaguchi score, CAP, FLI, and HSI were not different between groups. LS was not different between groups; however, FIB-4 was increased within all groups, and NAFLD fibrosis score was increased within infliximab and control groups, without significant biologic × time interactions. Conclusions: No positive or adverse effect of infliximab or vedolizumab vs. no biologic agents was shown on presumed hepatic steatosis in patients with IBD, who have not been previously exposed to biologic agents. Although no effect of both biologic agent on LS, a slight but significant increase in FIB-4 and NAFLD fibrosis score warrants further studying. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pharmacotherapy of Liver Fibrosis and Hepatitis: Recent Advances)
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14 pages, 1028 KiB  
Article
Liver Fibrosis Stages Affect Organic Cation Transporter 1/2 Activities in Hepatitis C Virus-Infected Patients
by Matheus De Lucca Thomaz, Carolina Pinto Vieira, Juciene Aparecida Caris, Maria Paula Marques, Adriana Rocha, Tiago Antunes Paz, Rosamar Eulira Fontes Rezende and Vera Lucia Lanchote
Pharmaceuticals 2024, 17(7), 865; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph17070865 - 1 Jul 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1024
Abstract
This study aims to evaluate the impact of liver fibrosis stages of chronic infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) on the in vivo activity of organic cation transporters (hepatic OCT1 and renal OCT2) using metformin (MET) as a probe drug. Participants allocated in [...] Read more.
This study aims to evaluate the impact of liver fibrosis stages of chronic infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) on the in vivo activity of organic cation transporters (hepatic OCT1 and renal OCT2) using metformin (MET) as a probe drug. Participants allocated in Group 1 (n = 15, mild to moderate liver fibrosis) or 2 (n = 13, advanced liver fibrosis and cirrhosis) received a single MET 50 mg oral dose before direct-acting antiviral (DAA) drug treatment (Phase 1) and 30 days after achieving sustained virologic response (Phase 2). OCT1/2 activity (MET AUC0–24) was found to be reduced by 25% when comparing the two groups in Phase 2 (ratio 0.75 (0.61–0.93), p < 0.05) but not in Phase 1 (ratio 0.81 (0.66–0.98), p > 0.05). When Phases 1 and 2 were compared, no changes were detected in both Groups 1 (ratio 1.10 (0.97–1.24), p > 0.05) and 2 (ratio 1.03 (0.94–1.12), p > 0.05). So, this study shows a reduction of approximately 25% in the in vivo activity of OCT1/2 in participants with advanced liver fibrosis and cirrhosis after achieving sustained virologic response and highlights that OCT1/2 in vivo activity depends on the liver fibrosis stage of chronic HCV infection. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pharmacotherapy of Liver Fibrosis and Hepatitis: Recent Advances)
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