Jiang Yong, Han Tao, Zhang Zhi-Guang, Li Man, Qi Feng-Xiang, Zhang Ying, Ji Ying-Lan
Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300211, China.
Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Tianjin Third Central Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China.
Chronic Dis Transl Med. 2017 Jul 8;3(3):165-168. doi: 10.1016/j.cdtm.2017.06.003. eCollection 2017 Sep.
As a result of increased prevalence of obesity worldwide, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become one of the most common causes of chronic liver disease. Although most NAFLD cases remain benign, some progress to end-stage liver diseases such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Therefore, treatment should be considered for NAFLD patients who are likely to progress to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) or fibrosis. Thymosin beta 4 (Tβ4), a G-actin sequestering peptide, regulates actin polymerization in mammalian cells. In addition, studies have reported anti-inflammatory, insulin-sensitizing, and anti-fibrotic effects of Tβ4. However, no research has been done to investigate the effects of Tβ4 on NAFLD. Based on the findings above mentioned, we hypothesize that Tβ4 may represent an effective treatment for NAFLD.
由于全球肥胖患病率上升,非酒精性脂肪性肝病(NAFLD)已成为慢性肝病最常见的病因之一。尽管大多数NAFLD病例仍为良性,但有些会进展为终末期肝病,如肝硬化和肝细胞癌。因此,对于可能进展为非酒精性脂肪性肝炎(NASH)或肝纤维化的NAFLD患者应考虑进行治疗。胸腺素β4(Tβ4)是一种G-肌动蛋白螯合肽,可调节哺乳动物细胞中的肌动蛋白聚合。此外,研究报道了Tβ4的抗炎、胰岛素增敏和抗纤维化作用。然而,尚未开展研究来调查Tβ4对NAFLD的影响。基于上述发现,我们推测Tβ4可能是治疗NAFLD的有效药物。