Pharmaceutical composition for the prevention or treatment of fat liver comprising GDF15 protein or polynucleotide encoding GDF15 as an effective ingredient

The present invention relates to a pharmaceutical composition for preventing or treating fatty liver and containing a growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) protein or a polynucleotide encoding the same as an active ingredient. When the GDF15 protein or the polynucleotide encoding the same is administered to an ob/ob mouse model, which is an obesity animal model, an effect in suppressing an increase in body weight is shown. Also, lipogenesis in liver tissue and fat tissue is decreased, and the expression of genes in charge of lipolysis and genes related to the improvement of mitochondrial functions and the expression of genes related to beta-oxidation are increased. Additionally, when different concentrations of recombinant GDF15 proteins are treated in vitro on muscle cells and hepatocytes, it has been finally confirmed that mitochondrial functions are improved by increasing mitochondrial oxygen consumption amounts and lipolysis. Therefore, the GDF15 protein or the polynucleotide encoding the same can increase mitochondrial functions, and thus can be effectively used as a pharmaceutical composition for preventing or treating fatty liver.