Author information

¹Gastroenterology & Hepatology, St George Hospital, Kogarah, Australia.

²St George and Sutherland Campus, UNSW School of Clinical Medicine, Kogarah, Australia.

³St. George & Sutherland Clinical School, UNSW School of Clinical Medicine, Kogarah, Australia.

⁴St. George & Sutherland Clinical Campuses, UNSW School of Clinical Medicine, Kogarah, Australia.

⁵Department of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, St George Hospital, Kogarah, Australia.

⁶St George and Sutherland Clinical School, UNSW School of Clinical Medicine, Kogarah, Australia.

Abstract

The prevalence of Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) - previously described as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) - continues to rise globally. Despite this, therapeutic measures for MASLD remain limited. Recently, there has been a growing interest in the gut microbiome's role in the pathogenesis of MASLD. Understanding this relationship may allow for the administration of therapeutics that target the gut microbiome and/or its metabolic function to alleviate MASLD development or progression. This review will discuss the interplay between the gut microbiome's structure and function in relation to the development of MASLD, assess the diagnostic yield of gut microbiome-based signatures as a non-invasive tool to identify MASLD severity, and examine current and emerging therapies targeting the gut microbiome-liver axis.