Effects of Liraglutide on Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Introduction: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common comorbidity of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and no approved therapies are currently available. A meta-analysis was performed to investigate the effects of liraglutide on NAFLD in patients with T2DM. Methods: Medline (via PubMed), Embase (via Elsevier), and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (via Cochrane Library) from inception to April 2020 were searched. After screening the literature and extracting data, we assessed the risk of bias of the eligible studies. The Cochrane Collaboration's RevMan software program was used for the statistical analysis. Results: Eleven trials involving 535 patients were included for the final analysis. Compared to the placebo or control group, liraglutide decreased liver fat (LF) (insulin: mean difference MD − 2.50, 95% confidence interval [CI] − 4.30 to − 0.70), body mass index (BMI) (placebo: MD − 1.13, 95% CI − 2.03 to − 0.23; pioglitazone: MD − 4.10, 95% CI − 6.27 to − 1.93; metformin: MD − 1.07, 95% CI − 2.06 to − 0.08; insulin: MD − 1.01, 95% CI − 1.60 to − 0.43), lipoproteins, including high-density (insulin: MD − 0.10, 95% CI − 0.15 to − 0.05) and low-density lipoproteins (MD − 0.26, 95% CI − 0.43 to − 0.10), glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) (placebo: MD − 0.86; 95% CI − 1.22 to − 0.51; insulin: MD − 0.22, 95% CI − 0.41 to − 0.04), total cholesterol (placebo: MD − 0.34, 95% CI − 0.65 to − 0.03; metformin: MD 0.09, 95% CI 0.01–0.18), and triglycerides (placebo: MD − 0.29, 95% CI − 0.57 to − 0.01; insulin: MD − 0.80, 95% CI − 1.03 to − 0.57). Liraglutide may be associated with increased gastrointestinal reactions compared to pioglitazone. Conclusion: These findings revealed that liraglutide decreased LF, BMI, lipids, or HbA1c in T2DM patients complicated with NAFLD, indicating its potential therapeutic efficacy.