Application prospects of mitochondrial pyruvate carrier inhibitors in treatment of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis

Xinyue CHEN; Zhenhua ZHOU

doi:10.12449/JCH260424

Volume 42 Issue 4

Apr. 2026

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Article Navigation > Journal of Clinical Hepatology > 2026 > 42(4): 938-942

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Application prospects of mitochondrial pyruvate carrier inhibitors in treatment of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis

DOI: 10.12449/JCH260424

Xinyue CHEN¹,
Zhenhua ZHOU^{2, 3
,
,
,}

1.
Cellular Immunology Laboratory，Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine，Shanghai 201203，China
2.
Department of Hepatology，Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine，Shanghai 201203，China
3.
Department of Hepatology，Anhui Hospital，Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine，Hefei 230031，China

Research funding:

Key Discipline Construction Project of High-Level Traditional Chinese Medicine of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine （Traditional Chinese Medicine Hepatobiliary Disease） (zyyzdxk-2023060);

Natural Science Foundation of Anhui Province (2308085MH293);

Major Project of Scientific Research for Universities in Anhui Province (2023AH040098);

Key Project of Scientific Research for Health and Wellness in Anhui Province (AHWJ2023A10035)

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Corresponding author: ZHOU Zhenhua， Jinghua1220@163.com （ORCID： 0000-0002-5639-3857）
Received Date: 2025-07-10
Accepted Date: 2025-10-27
Published Date: 2026-04-25

Abstract

Abstract

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis （MASH） is a complex liver disease characterized by abnormal fat accumulation in the liver， accompanied by inflammation and hepatocyte injury， and it can gradually progress to liver fibrosis， liver cirrhosis， and even hepatocellular carcinoma. MASH has a complex pathogenesis involving multiple links such as insulin resistance， de novo lipogenesis （DNL）， oxidative stress， and mitochondrial dysfunction. In recent years， mitochondrial pyruvate carrier （MPC） has attracted wide attention as a key molecular target for regulating lipid metabolism. This article systematically reviews the mechanism of action of MPC in MASH， with a focus on how inhibiting MPC expression regulates lipid synthesis and metabolism by reducing DNL production and modulating signaling pathways such as AMPK-ACC， thereby improving liver inflammation. In addition， this article discusses the potential application prospects of MPC inhibitors in MASH treatment， in order to provide new ideas for future clinical research on MASH management.
- Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis,
- Mitochondrial Pyruvate Carrier,
- Therapeutics

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References(36)

References

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Application prospects of mitochondrial pyruvate carrier inhibitors in treatment of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis

DOI: 10.12449/JCH260424

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Application prospects of mitochondrial pyruvate carrier inhibitors in treatment of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis

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