Advances in MCFA to ameliorate lipoatrophic hepatocyte injury and lipid metabolism disorders (Review)

With the improvement in the material standard of living of individuals and a decrease in physical activity, which has led to a significant increase in the incidence of obesity and its related metabolic diseases, non‑alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is increasingly becoming one of the more common metabolic disorders of the liver that threatens public health. Lipid deposits in the liver cause simple hepatic steatosis to develop into non‑alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which causes severe damage to the organism; however, the key mechanisms responsible for the progression of NASH remain unclear. Therefore, the active and effective correction of the imbalance of energy metabolism in the organism is a common health challenge for humans. The present review summarized the research progress made on fatty acid biology, namely medium‑chain fatty acids (MCFAs) and the causes of the pathogenesis of NAFLD, the induction of apoptosis, oxidative stress, immune regulation and related lipid metabolism signaling pathways. The present review provided evidence supporting MCFAs as a potential therapeutic intervention for NAFLD by regulating lipid metabolism and reducing oxidative stress.