{
  "id": 11694599,
  "title": "This protective enzyme could help stop fatty liver disease from getting worse",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/this-protective-enzyme-could-help-stop-fatty-liver-disease-from",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-10-03T13:46:11.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "ScienceDaily Health",
    "slug": "sciencedaily-health",
    "url": "https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/10/261002080020.htm"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A groundbreaking discovery by researchers at Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University may hold the key to halting the progression of fatty liver disease. The study, published in Nature Metabolism, has identified an enzyme called UBE2N that plays a crucial role in protecting the liver from damage as the most common form of liver disease worsens.\n\nMetabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), previously known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, affects an estimated 100 million people in the U.S. Roughly 20% to 25% of those affected progress to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), a more severe form of the condition characterized by inflammation, cell injury, and scarring. Current treatments primarily focus on lifestyle changes and limiting further liver damage, but there are limited options and no cure for MASH.\n\nThe researchers found that UBE2N levels decline in liver cells as the disease becomes more advanced. UBE2N helps protect the liver by removing damaged mitochondria and supporting fat breakdown. When levels of the enzyme fell, there was an increase in damaged cells and liver injury. Restoring UBE2N levels in laboratory mice led to reductions in fat accumulation, inflammation, and scarring.\n\nLead researcher Ekihiro Seki, MD, PhD, suggests that UBE2N could become a potential treatment target for preventing MASLD from advancing to MASH. This discovery marks an important advancement in understanding steatotic liver disease and opens up new possibilities for developing therapeutic approaches to prevent advanced disease. Further studies will test whether enhancing this protective pathway can complement existing treatments and identify patients most likely to benefit.",
  "summary": "Scientists have identified an enzyme that may act as a natural defense against the worsening of fatty liver disease, which affects an estimated 100 million Americans. The enzyme, called UBE2N, helps liver cells clear away damaged mitochondria and break down fat, potentially preventing the inflammation, scarring, and cell damage associated with the more dangerous condition MASH.",
  "key_points": [
    "Researchers identify enzyme UBE2N in protecting liver from fatty liver disease progression.",
    "UBE2N levels decline as disease becomes more severe, increasing damaged cells and liver injury.",
    "Restoring UBE2N in mice reduces fat accumulation, inflammation, and scarring in fatty liver disease."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "ScienceDaily",
        "title": "This protective enzyme could help stop fatty liver disease from getting worse",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/this-protective-enzyme-could-help-stop-fatty-liver-disease-from-11697841",
        "published": "2026-10-03T13:46:11.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}