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A hormone that triggers puberty and controls fertility in humans may be developed to treat nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, according to new research from Rutgers University
The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, provides strong evidence that a modified version of the naturally occurring hormone kisspeptin can be used to treat nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
NAFLD is called a "silent" disease because it starts with few or no symptoms
The study's lead investigator, Moshmi Bhattacharya, is an associate professor in the Department of Medicine at Rutgers University's Robert Wood Johnson School of Medicine who has spent more than 15 years studying kisspeptin's role in health and disease
Bhattacharya and Andy Babwa, an associate professor of pediatrics at Rutgers University's Robert Wood Johnson School of Medicine, sponsored the study to decipher the role of kisspeptin in the liver in both healthy and obese conditions
The researchers fed mice a high-fat, high-sugar "Western" diet to induce obesity and NAFLD
The study found:
Kisspeptin helps reduce fat deposits in the liver, reversing more severe disease
The mechanism of action of kisspeptin in the liver is now understood
Changes of blood kisspeptin levels in human NAFLD patients and mouse NAFLD model
"This work demonstrates a potential therapeutic role for kisspeptin receptor signaling in NAFLD," said co-author Vinod, director of hepatology and distinguished professor of medicine at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School K Rustgi said