Editorial
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2018. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Dec 28, 2018; 24(48): 5415-5417
Published online Dec 28, 2018. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v24.i48.5415
Role of cenicriviroc in the management of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
Georgios Neokosmidis, Konstantinos Tziomalos
Georgios Neokosmidis, Konstantinos Tziomalos, First Propedeutic Department of Internal Medicine, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, AHEPA Hospital, Thessaloniki 54636, Greece
Author contributions: Neokosmidis G drafted the editorial; Tziomalos K critically revised the draft.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare no conflict of interest related to this publication.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Konstantinos Tziomalos, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, First Propedeutic Department of Internal Medicine, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, AHEPA Hospital, 1 Stilponos Kyriakidi Street, Thessaloniki 54636, Greece. ktziomalos@yahoo.com
Telephone: +30-2310-994621 Fax: +30-2310-994773
Received: September 28, 2018
Peer-review started: September 28, 2018
First decision: October 23, 2018
Revised: October 27, 2018
Accepted: November 8, 2018
Article in press: November 8, 2018
Published online: December 28, 2018
Processing time: 90 Days and 14 Hours
Abstract

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the commonest chronic liver disease in high-income countries and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Macrophages appear to play an important role in the development and progression of hepatic fibrosis in patients with NAFLD. Accordingly, modulation of macrophage trafficking might represent an attractive therapeutic strategy in this population. Cenicriviroc is an oral inhibitor of the chemokine ligand 2/C-C chemokine receptor 2 pathway, which plays an important role in the hepatic recruitment of the macrophages. Preclinical studies and a phase 2b study in humans suggest that this agent might hold promise in the management of NAFLD.

Keywords: Cenicriviroc; Macrophages; Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; Fibrosis; Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis

Core tip: Macrophages appear to play an important role in the development and progression of hepatic fibrosis in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Accordingly, modulation of macrophage trafficking might represent an attractive therapeutic strategy in this population. Cenicriviroc is an oral inhibitor of the chemokine ligand 2/C-C chemokine receptor 2 pathway, which plays an important role in the hepatic recruitment of the macrophages. Preclinical studies and a phase 2b study in humans suggest that this agent might hold promise in the management of NAFLD.