Application of statins in the treatment of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease

Dandan SUN; Ruisi LI; Xiaoyu HU

doi:10.12449/JCH260322

Volume 42 Issue 3

Mar. 2026

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Article Navigation > Journal of Clinical Hepatology > 2026 > 42(3): 661-667

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Application of statins in the treatment of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease

DOI: 10.12449/JCH260322

Dandan SUN¹,
Ruisi LI¹,
Xiaoyu HU^{1, 2
,
,
,}

1.
College of Clinical Medicine，Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine，Chengdu 610072，China
2.
Department of Hepatology and Infectious Diseases，The Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine，Chengdu 610072，China

Research funding:

National Natural Science Foundation of China (81973840);

Major Science and Technology Project Funding Project of Sichuan Provincial Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (2021XYCZ004)

More Information

Corresponding author: HU Xiaoyu， xiaoyuhu_dr@sina.com （ORCID： 0009-0002-7184-3278）
Received Date: 2025-06-23
Accepted Date: 2025-08-04
Published Date: 2026-03-25

Abstract

Abstract

Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease （MAFLD） and its progressive form metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis （MASH） have become the leading causes of chronic liver diseases worldwide， and the incidence rate of MAFLD continues to rise， which is closely associated with metabolic disorders such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. The core pathogenesis of MAFLD involves insulin resistance， abnormal lipid metabolism， and chronic inflammation， which can progress to MASH and lead to liver fibrosis， liver cirrhosis， and even hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC）. At present， there are still limited effective pharmacotherapies for MAFLD. Based on the PRISMA guidelines， this article systematically reviews the role of statins in MAFLD. Studies have shown that statins not only improve blood lipid profiles and the levels of liver enzyme， but also bring good benefits to patients comorbid with cardiovascular disease or type 2 diabetes， and long-term use can also reduce the risk of HCC. However， the potential risks of hepatotoxicity and myopathy should be taken seriously， which， therefore， requires individualized medication and regular monitoring of liver function in clinical practice.
- Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors,
- Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease,
- Therapeutics

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References

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Application of statins in the treatment of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease

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Application of statins in the treatment of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease

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