Research
Hormonal
Pioglitazone, a PPAR-gamma agonist, improves steatosis, inflammation, and liver biomarkers in patients with MAFLD, but its effect on liver fibrosis is not clear.
Pioglitazone is an older diabetes drug that can improve liver fat and inflammation in MAFLD patients. However, it may cause weight gain and other side effects, and its ability to reverse liver scarring is unclear. It is sometimes used in patients with T2DM and MASH.
GoodQualifiesHIGH confidence
A meta-analysis analyzing the available trials on pioglitazone confirmed that pioglitazone is an effective treatment for prediabetic or diabetic patients with MAFLD, as it reduces steatosis, liver function and inflammation. However, the effect on fibrosis stage is not yet clear, as no significant improvement in liver fibrosis was observed [93].
Why this rating
Based on meta-analysis and RCTs.
Source
MAFLD Pandemic: Updates in Pharmacotherapeutic Approach Development
Farah Khaznadar et al. · Current Issues in Molecular Biology · 2024
DOI 10.3390/cimb46070376
narrative_reviewCited 13×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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