ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Treatment with omega-3 fatty acids and fenofibrates reduces serum triglyceride levels, but few studies have compared the effect of these agents on liver fat. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the EFFECT I trial (NCT02354976) was to determine the effects of free omega-3 carboxylic acids (OM-3CA) and fenofibrate on liver fat in overweight or obese individuals with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and hypertriglyceridemia. METHODS: Seventy-eight patients were randomized to receive oral doses of 4 g OM-3CA (n = 25), 200 mg fenofibrate (n = 27), or placebo (n = 26) for 12 weeks in a double-blind, parallel-group study. Liver proton density fat fraction (PDFF) and volume, pancreas volume, and adipose tissue volumes were assessed by magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: Changes in liver PDFF at 12 weeks were not significantly different across treatment groups (relative changes from baseline: placebo, +4%; OM-3CA, -2%; and fenofibrate, +17%). The common PNPLA3 genetic polymorphism (I148M) did not significantly influence the effects of OM-3CA or fenofibrate on liver PDFF. Fenofibrate treatment significantly increased liver and pancreas volumes vs placebo treatment, and the changes in liver and pancreas volumes were positively correlated (rho 0.45, P = .02). Total liver fat volume increased significantly in patients using fenofibrate vs OM-3CA (+23% vs -3%, P = .04). Compared with OM-3CA, fenofibrate increased total liver fat and liver volume. Serum triglycerides decreased with OM-3CA (-26%, P = .02) and fenofibrate (-38%, P < .001) vs placebo. In contrast to OM-3CA, fenofibrate reduced plasma docosahexaenoic acid levels and increased plasma acetylcarnitine and butyrylcarnitine levels, estimated delta-9 desaturase activity and the concentration of urine F2-isoprostanes. CONCLUSIONS: OM-3CA and fenofibrate reduced serum triglycerides but did not reduce liver fat. Fenofibrate increased total liver volume and total liver fat volume vs OM-3CA, indicating a complex effect of fenofibrate on human hepatic lipid metabolism.
Subject(s)
Adipose Tissue/drug effects , Carboxylic Acids/chemistry , Fatty Acids, Omega-3/therapeutic use , Fenofibrate/therapeutic use , Hypertriglyceridemia/drug therapy , Liver/drug effects , Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/drug therapy , Adult , Aged , Blood Glucose/metabolism , Body Weight/drug effects , Double-Blind Method , Fatty Acids, Omega-3/chemistry , Female , Fenofibrate/pharmacology , Hepatocytes/drug effects , Hepatocytes/pathology , Humans , Hypertriglyceridemia/blood , Hypertriglyceridemia/pathology , Lipoproteins/blood , Liver/pathology , Male , Middle Aged , Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/blood , Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/pathology , Oxidative Stress/drug effects , Pancreas/drug effects , Pancreas/pathology , Placebos , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: The EFFECT-II study aimed to investigate the effects of dapagliflozin and omega-3 (n-3) carboxylic acids (OM-3CA), individually or combined, on liver fat content in individuals with type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). METHODS: This randomised placebo-controlled double-blind parallel-group study was performed at five clinical research centres at university hospitals in Sweden. 84 participants with type 2 diabetes and NAFLD were randomly assigned 1:1:1:1 to four treatments by a centralised randomisation system, and all participants as well as investigators and staff involved in the study conduct and analyses were blinded to treatments. Each group received oral doses of one of the following: 10 mg dapagliflozin (n = 21), 4 g OM-3CA (n = 20), a combination of both (n = 22) or placebo (n = 21). The primary endpoint was liver fat content assessed by MRI (proton density fat fraction [PDFF]) and, in addition, total liver volume and markers of glucose and lipid metabolism as well as of hepatocyte injury and oxidative stress were assessed at baseline and after 12 weeks of treatment (completion of the trial). RESULTS: Participants had a mean age of 65.5 years (SD 5.9), BMI 31.2 kg/m2 (3.5) and liver PDFF 18% (9.3). All active treatments significantly reduced liver PDFF from baseline, relative changes: OM-3CA, -15%; dapagliflozin, -13%; OM-3CA + dapagliflozin, -21%. Only the combination treatment reduced liver PDFF (p = 0.046) and total liver fat volume (relative change, -24%, p = 0.037) in comparison with placebo. There was an interaction between the PNPLA3 I148M polymorphism and change in liver PDFF in the active treatment groups (p = 0.03). Dapagliflozin monotherapy, but not the combination with OM-3CA, reduced the levels of hepatocyte injury biomarkers, including alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, γ-glutamyl transferase (γ-GT), cytokeratin (CK) 18-M30 and CK 18-M65 and plasma fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21). Changes in γ-GT correlated with changes in liver PDFF (ρ = 0.53, p = 0.02). Dapagliflozin alone and in combination with OM-3CA improved glucose control and reduced body weight and abdominal fat volumes. Fatty acid oxidative stress biomarkers were not affected by treatments. There were no new or unexpected adverse events compared with previous studies with these treatments. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Combined treatment with dapagliflozin and OM-3CA significantly reduced liver fat content. Dapagliflozin monotherapy reduced all measured hepatocyte injury biomarkers and FGF21, suggesting a disease-modifying effect in NAFLD. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02279407 FUNDING: The study was funded by AstraZeneca.
