Role of ghrelin and obestatin in the progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a disease caused by multiple factors and can progress to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. At present, the pathogenesis of NAFLD remains unclear and there are still no effective therapeutic drugs in clinical practice; therefore, it is particularly important to search for new therapeutic drugs that have few side effects and can effectively delay or reverse disease progression. Some studies have shown that related hormones produced by gastric tissue have a variety of effects in the regulation of energy homeostasis and obesity, and the expression level of inflammation-related genes in gastric fundus is consistent with the severity of liver disease; thus we have reason to believe that the stomach is one of the important participants in NAFLD. This article summarizes the role of ghrelin and obestatin produced by the stomach in the progression of NAFLD, which provides a new idea for the pathogenesis of NAFLD and a new direction for treatment.