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Cited by 80Diabetes Treatment and ManagementLiver Disease Diagnosis and TreatmentDiabetes, Cardiovascular Risks, and Lipoproteins

Efficacy of liraglutide in treating type 2 diabetes mellitus complicated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

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Tian, Feng, Zheng, Zhigang, Zhang, Damin, He, Si, Shen, Jie·2018·Bioscience Reports
DOI 10.1042/bsr20181304PMC PMC6435530
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Abstract

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) complicated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is difficult to treat. The present study explored the efficacy of (liraglutide) Lira in treating T2DM complicated with NAFLD. A total of 127 patients suffering from T2DM complicated with NAFLD were enrolled in the present study, and randomly assigned to a Lira group (liraglutide injection: 0.6–1.2 mg/day, 12 weeks, n=52) or a Metformin (Met) group (oral metformin: 1000–1500 mg/day, 12 weeks, n=75). During the treatment phase, the values for fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 2 h plasma glucose (2hPG), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), aspartate aminotransferase (AST)/alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and adiponectin (APN) decreased in both the Lira and Met groups, and the levels of Δ2hPG, ΔAST/ALT, and ΔAPN in the Lira group were significantly lower than those in the Met group. The values for total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-and high-density lipoproteins (LDL and HDL), ALT, AST, weight, body mass index (BMI), waist to hip ratio (WHR), and C-reactive protein were markedly increased in both groups, and levels of ΔAST, ΔALT, Δweight, ΔBMI, ΔWHR, and ΔCRP (C-reactive protein) in the Lira group were significantly higher than those in the Met group. An analysis of treatment efficacy showed that liraglutide was better than metformin in its ability to significantly decrease the ALT levels in patients with combined T2DM and NAFLD. Furthermore, liraglutide was more effective than metformin at ameliorating the severity of T2DM complicated with NAFLD, and produced its effects by alleviating liver inflammation and improving liver function.

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  • In comparison to metformin and other medications, GLP-1 RAs dramatically decreased hepatic enzymes, liver fat content, and inflammatory markers in a number of trials that specifically investigated T2D patients with NAFLD.

    “In comparison to metformin and other medications, GLP-1 RAs dramatically decreased hepatic enzymes, liver fat content, and inflammatory markers in a number of trials that specifically investigated T2D patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) (13, 28, 40).”

    From Inflammatory biomarker response to GLP-1 receptor agonists versus other glucose-lowering medications in patients with type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis (2026) · cites this paper as [40]

    The Discussion (page unavailable) reports that liraglutide lowered CRP and the liver enzymes AST and ALT more than metformin in patients with T2D and NAFLD. It also reports no significant difference between the groups in ultrasound-diagnosed NAFLD, so it does not establish a greater reduction in liver fat content. This paper studies one GLP-1 receptor agonist against metformin, not several agonists across a number of trials or against other medications. (LLM, conf=0.89)

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Sorted by citations

Authors
Tian, F., Zheng, Z., Zhang, D., He, S., & Shen, J.
Affiliations
  • ShenZhen People’s Hospital (CN)
  • Department of Internal Medicine, Shenzhen Yantian District People’s Hospital, Shenzhen 518000, China
  • Third Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University (CN)
Corresponding author
Shen, Jie
ORCID
Venue
Bioscience Reports
Publisher
Portland Press Ltd.
Published
2018-12-21
Volume
38
Issue
6
ISSN
  • 0144-8463 (ISSN-L)
  • 1573-4935
DOI
10.1042/bsr20181304
PMC
PMC6435530
OpenAlex
W2902244224
Cited by
80
References
9
Citations by year
2026: 9 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 6 · 2017: 1
FWCI
5.77
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Bioscience Reports (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Diabetes Treatment and Management
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Liver Disease Diagnosis and Treatment
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Diabetes, Cardiovascular Risks, and Lipoproteins
Keywords
liraglutide, type 2 diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, metformin, glycemic control, liver function, ALT, liver inflammation, adiponectin, C-reactive protein, body mass index, weight gain
MeSH terms
Liraglutide, Alanine Transaminase, Aspartate Aminotransferases, Blood Glucose, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, Female, Humans, Male, Metformin, Middle Aged, Triglycerides, Body Mass Index, Waist-Hip Ratio, Adiponectin, Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

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