Role of Akkermansia muciniphila in the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: current knowledge and perspectives

Abstract

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome and a common cause of liver cirrhosis and cancer. Akkermansia muciniphila (A. muciniphila) is a next-generation probiotic that has been reported to improve metabolic disorders. Emerging evidence indicates the therapeutic potential of A. muciniphila for NAFLD, especially in the inflammatory stage, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Here, the current knowledge on the role of A. muciniphila in the progression of NAFLD was summarized. A. muciniphila abundancy is decreased in animals and humans with NAFLD. The recovery of A. muciniphila presented benefits in preventing hepatic fat accumulation and inflammation in NAFLD. The details of how microbes regulate hepatic immunity and lipid accumulation in NAFLD were further discussed. The modulation mechanisms by which A. muciniphila acts to improve hepatic inflammation are mainly attributed to the alleviation of inflammatory cytokines and LPS signals and the downregulation of microbiota-related innate immune cells (such as macrophages). This review provides insights into the roles of A. muciniphila in NAFLD, thereby providing a blueprint to facilitate clinical therapeutic applications.

Keywords

Akkermansia muciniphila / NAFLD / NASH / steatosis / inflammation

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 82170668, 81790633, and 81790630), Sino-German Center for Research Promotion (No. GZ1546), CAMS Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences (No. 2019-I2M-5-045), and Jinan Microecological Biomedicine Shandong Laboratory (No. JNL-2022040C).

Compliance with ethics guidelines

Yuqiu Han, Lanjuan Li, and Baohong Wang declare no competing financial interests. This manuscript is a review article and does not involve a research protocol requiring approval by the relevant institutional review board or ethics committee.

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