Sid Victoria, Siow Yaw L, O Karmin
a St. Boniface Hospital Albrechtsen Research Centre, Winnipeg, MB R2H 2A6, Canada.
b Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0J9, Canada.
Can J Physiol Pharmacol. 2017 Oct;95(10):1141-1148. doi: 10.1139/cjpp-2016-0681. Epub 2017 May 1.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a spectrum of chronic liver conditions that are characterized by steatosis, inflammation, fibrosis, and liver injury. The global prevalence of NAFLD is rapidly increasing in proportion to the rising incidence of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Because NAFLD is a multifaceted disorder with many underlying metabolic abnormalities, currently, there is no pharmacological agent that is therapeutically approved for the treatment of this disease. Folate is a water-soluble B vitamin that plays an essential role in one-carbon transfer reactions involved in nucleic acid biosynthesis, methylation reactions, and sulfur-containing amino acid metabolism. The liver is the primary organ responsible for storage and metabolism of folates. Low serum folate levels have been observed in patients with obesity and diabetes. It has been reported that a low level of endogenous folates in rodents perturbs folate-dependent one-carbon metabolism, and may be associated with development of metabolic diseases such as NAFLD. This review highlights the biological role of folate in the progression of NAFLD and its associated metabolic complications including obesity and type 2 diabetes. Understanding the role of folate in metabolic disease may position this vitamin as a potential therapeutic for NAFLD.
非酒精性脂肪性肝病（NAFLD）是一系列慢性肝脏疾病，其特征为脂肪变性、炎症、纤维化和肝损伤。随着肥胖症和2型糖尿病发病率的上升，NAFLD在全球的患病率正在迅速增加。由于NAFLD是一种具有多种潜在代谢异常的多方面疾病，目前尚无经治疗批准用于治疗该疾病的药物。叶酸是一种水溶性B族维生素，在参与核酸生物合成、甲基化反应和含硫氨基酸代谢的一碳转移反应中起重要作用。肝脏是负责叶酸储存和代谢的主要器官。肥胖症和糖尿病患者中观察到血清叶酸水平较低。据报道，啮齿动物体内内源性叶酸水平较低会扰乱叶酸依赖性一碳代谢，并可能与NAFLD等代谢性疾病的发生有关。本综述强调了叶酸在NAFLD进展及其相关代谢并发症（包括肥胖症和2型糖尿病）中的生物学作用。了解叶酸在代谢性疾病中的作用可能会使这种维生素成为NAFLD的潜在治疗方法。
