Alterations in one-carbon metabolism in metabolic dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease may be modified by...

Disruptions in one-carbon metabolism (OCM) have been linked to cardiometabolic diseases. We evaluated alterations in OCM metabolites and enzymes and the impact of semaglutide in MASLD.

Using targeted metabolomics and bulk-transcriptomics, we analyzed components of OCM in plasma samples and liver biopsies from MASLD patients (n = 100 with F0-F4 fibrosis, 51 % type 2 diabetes) and healthy controls (n = 50). Untargeted metabolomics and transcriptomics were used to analyze plasma and liver specimens from mice with diet-induced obesity and steatohepatitis (DIO-MASH) treated with vehicle or semaglutide compared with chow for 12 weeks.

In patients with MASLD vs healthy controls, changes in the concentrations of folate and pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (vitamin B6), betaine, serine, and glycine suggested alteration to the activity of the transsulfuration pathway as well as the methionine and folate cycles. Increased concentrations of metabolites related to enhanced homocysteine conversion and elevated glutamate were also observed. These findings were supported by corresponding alterations in the activity of key enzymes. Similar patterns were identified in comparisons of patients with significant vs no/mild fibrosis and in DIO-MASH mice vs chow. Treatment with semaglutide led to reductions in body weight, hepatic inflammation, and fibrosis and largely reversed the metabolic and gene expression changes observed in DIO-MASH mice.

MASLD may be linked to alterations in key metabolites and enzymes involved in OCM. The changes in humans were replicated in a MASLD mouse model, and reversal was found after treatment with semaglutide.