Farnesoid X Receptor Agonism, Acetyl-Coenzyme A Carboxylase Inhibition, and Back Translation of Clinically Observed Endpoints of Lipogenesis in a Murine NASH Model.

A promising approach for the treatment of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is the inhibition of enhanced hepatic lipogenesis (DNL), which is the synthesis of fatty acids from nonlipid sources. This study assesses three approaches to DNL suppression in a newly developed dietary NASH mouse model: i) dietary intervention (switch from NASH-inducing diet to normal diet); ii) inhibition of acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase (ACC), the enzyme catalyzing the rate-limiting step in DNL; and iii) activation of farnesoid X receptor (FXR), a major transcriptional regulator of DNL. C57BL/6J mice on a high-fat diet combined with consumption of a fructose-sucrose solution developed several of the liver histologic features seen in human disease, including steatosis, inflammation, and fibrosis, accompanied by elevated fibrosis biomarkers and liver injury enzymes.