Cited by 726Liver Disease Diagnosis and TreatmentLiver Diseases and ImmunityAlcohol Consumption and Health Effects

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 31 of the 31 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 16 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

A pilot study of pioglitazone treatment for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis

Open access

Abstract

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a common chronic liver disease for which there is no known effective therapy. A proportion of patients with NASH progress to advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis. NASH is considered one of the clinical features of the metabolic syndrome in which insulin resistance plays a central role. This prospective study evaluates the role of insulin-sensitizing agent in treatment of NASH. Eighteen nondiabetic patients with biopsy-proven NASH were treated with pioglitazone (30 mg daily) for 48 weeks. Tests of insulin sensitivity and body composition as well as liver biopsies were performed before and at the end of treatment. By 48 weeks, serum alanine aminotransferase values fell to normal in 72% of patients. Hepatic fat content and size as determined by magnetic resonance imaging decreased, and glucose and free fatty acid sensitivity to insulin were uniformly improved. Histological features of steatosis, cellular injury, parenchymal inflammation, Mallory bodies, and fibrosis were significantly improved from baseline (all P < 0.05). Using strict criteria, histological improvement occurred in two-thirds of patients. Pioglitazone was well tolerated; the main side effects were weight gain (averaging 4%) and an increase in total body adiposity. In conclusion, these results indicate that treatment with an insulin-sensitizing agent can lead to improvement in biochemical and histological features of NASH and support the role of insulin resistance in the pathogenesis of this disease. The long-term safety and benefits of pioglitazone require further study. (Hepatology 2004;39:188-196.)

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

In this prospective pilot study, 18 nondiabetic patients with biopsy-proven nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) received pioglitazone 30 mg daily for 48 weeks. Pioglitazone improved serum aminotransferases, insulin sensitivity, hepatic fat by MRI, and multiple histological features of NASH, but caused weight gain and required further long-term study.

Key findings

  • Serum ALT normalized in 72% of patients (13/18); mean ALT fell from 99 U/L to 40 U/L (P < 0.01), and mean AST fell from 61 U/L to 34 U/L (P = 0.001).
  • The mean NASH activity index decreased from 8.0 at baseline to 4.0 at 48 weeks; using strict criteria, 12 patients (67%) had a histological response.
  • Steatosis, hepatocellular injury, parenchymal inflammation, Mallory bodies, and fibrosis all improved significantly (all P < 0.05); fibrosis improved in 11 patients (61%), was unchanged in 4 (22%), and increased in 3 (17%).
  • Insulin sensitivity improved: FSIGT S_I increased by 126% ± 78%, HOMA-IR fell from 4.3 to 2.6 (P < 0.001), and liver fat by MRI fell from 47.5% to 22.8% (P = 0.001), while weight increased by an average of 3.5 kg (4%) and total fat mass increased by 3.1 kg (P = 0.002).

Methods

  • Prospective, single-arm pilot study of 18 nondiabetic adults with biopsy-proven NASH, enrolled between March 2001 and April 2002; patients received pioglitazone 30 mg daily for 48 weeks.
  • Before and after treatment, patients underwent liver biopsy, oral glucose tolerance testing, frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance testing, MRI of the liver, and DEXA body composition measurement.
  • The primary outcome was improvement in hepatic histology using a predetermined NASH activity index; analyses were intention-to-treat, with paired t tests and nonparametric tests where appropriate.

Limitations

  • The paper states a major limitation was the lack of a concurrently followed control group, making spontaneous histological improvement difficult to exclude.
  • The paper states patients were treated for only 48 weeks, so long-term sustainability of biochemical and histological improvements is unclear; it also cautions that weight gain with pioglitazone may eventually reverse benefits.
  • Evident from the text: this was a small, single-arm pilot (n = 18), so findings are preliminary and cannot establish causality or generalizability without larger controlled trials.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1002/hep.20012

Cites

31 of 31 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

0 of 16 cited sources checked · 0 supported · 0 flagged

Show all 58 claims

  • It may state two separate claims as one. 20
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 11
29 of 29
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    There is no proven beneficial therapy for NASH.

    “While there is no proven beneficial therapy for NASH, its association with insulin resistance has provided the rationale for evaluation of medical therapies that increase insulin sensitivity.14”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    A decrease in the NASH activity index of at least 3 points with improvements of at least 1 point in each of steatosis, parenchymal inflammation, and hepatocellular injury represents a clinically meaningful histological improvement.

    “Improvement was defined as a decrease in the NASH activity index of at least 3 points with improvements of at least 1 point for each of the three features.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The natural progression of hepatic histology in NASH is not well defined.

    “The natural progression of hepatic histology in NASH is not well defined.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    A combination of histological improvements in all major components of NASH has not been found to improve spontaneously.

    “a combination of features that have not been found to improve spontaneously.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Patients with NASH are usually overweight or obese.

    “Patients with NASH are usually overweight or obese, and therapies that lead to further weight gain must be viewed with caution.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The mechanisms of action of the TZDs are not fully understood.

    “The mechanisms of action of the TZDs are not fully understood.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    PPARγ is expressed in adipose tissue, muscle, and the liver.

    “a nuclear receptor expressed in adipose tissue, muscle, and the liver.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Serum ALT levels have been reported to improve with several medical therapies of NASH, including vitamin E, ursodiol, and metformin.

    “Serum ALT levels have been reported to improve with several medical therapies of NASH, including vitamin E, ursodiol, and metformin.”
8 of 8

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

  • Baseline NASH count conflicts with patient description

    Minor

    Table 3 reports NASH in 17 of 18 patients at baseline, whereas the Results state that liver histology showed NASH in all enrolled patients.

1 of 1

Citations

Cites

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Show all 31 references

Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. Sanyal, 2002, A randomized controlled pilot study of pioglitazone and vitamin E versus Vitamin E for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. abstract., HEPATOLOGY, 36, 875A
  2. Nair, 2002, Metformin in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH): efficacy and safety, a preliminary report. abstract., Gastroenterology, 122, 4A

Cited by

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Items 301–400 of 721

Metadata

Authors
Promrat, K., Lutchman, G., Uwaifo, G. I., Freedman, R. J., Soza, A., Heller, T., Doo, E., Ghany, M., Premkumar, A., Park, Y., Liang, J. T., Yanovski, J. A., Kleiner, D. E., & Hoofnagle, J. H.
Affiliations
  • National Institutes of Health (US)
  • National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (US)
  • United States Department of Health and Human Services (US)
  • National Cancer Institute (MY)
Corresponding author
Hoofnagle, Jay H.
Venue
Hepatology
Published
2004-01
Volume
39
Issue
1
Pages
188-196
ISSN
0270-9139 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2029811522
Cited by
726
References
31
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 17 · 2017: 19 · 2016: 25 · 2015: 28 · 2014: 19 · 2013: 28 · 2012: 25
FWCI
66.35
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Hepatology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
  • National Institutes of Health (Z01-HD-00641)
  • NIH Clinical Center
  • National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (ZO1 HD00641, Z01HD000641)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Hepatology › Liver Disease Diagnosis and Treatment
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Hepatology › Liver Diseases and Immunity
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pathology and Forensic Medicine › Alcohol Consumption and Health Effects
Keywords
nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, pioglitazone, insulin sensitizers, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, hepatic steatosis, liver fibrosis, alanine aminotransferase, body composition, adiposity, liver histopathology, drug safety
MeSH terms
Pioglitazone, Adult, Alanine Transaminase, Aspartate Aminotransferases, Fatty Liver, Female, Glucose Tolerance Test, Hepatitis, Humans, Hypoglycemic Agents, Insulin Resistance, Male, Middle Aged, Pilot Projects, Prospective Studies, Treatment Outcome, Thiazolidinediones

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