Efficacy of dapagliflozin to treat nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in patients with type 2 diabetes: A meta-analysis

Introduction: Dapagliflozin shows some potential in treating nonalcoholic fatty liver disease complicated with type 2 diabetes, and this meta-analysis aims to explore the efficacy of dapagliflozin vs placebo to treat nonalcoholic fatty liver disease complicated with type 2 diabetes. Methods: PubMed, EMbase, Web of science, EBSCO and Cochrane library databases have been searched through July 2024, and we included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the efficacy of dapagliflozin for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease complicated with type 2 diabetes. Results: Five RCTs and 353 patients were included in the meta-analysis. Overall, compared with control intervention in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes, dapagliflozin treatment was able to significantly decrease ALT (standard mean difference [SMD] = -1.10; 95% confidence interval [CI] = -1.37 to -0.84; P < .00001), AST (MD = -1.32; 95% CI = -1.76 to -0.88; P < .00001) and HbA1c (SMD = -0.60; 95% CI = -1.02 to -0.17; P = .006), but demonstrated no influence on fasting glucose (SMD = -0.55; 95% CI = -1.10 to 0; P = .05), LDL-C (SMD = -0.19; 95% CI = -0.56 to 0.17; P = .30) or triglyceride (SMD = -0.30; 95% CI = -1.47 to 0.88; P = .62). Conclusions: Dapagliflozin may benefit to treat patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes.