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. 2023 Nov 16;11(11):3074.
doi: 10.3390/biomedicines11113074.

Allopurinol versus Febuxostat: A New Approach for the Management of Hepatic Steatosis in Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease

Amani Al-Shargi  1 , Amal A El Kholy  1 , Abdulmoneim Adel  2 , Mohamed Hassany  2 , Sara M Shaheen  1
Affiliations

Allopurinol versus Febuxostat: A New Approach for the Management of Hepatic Steatosis in Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease

Amani Al-Shargi et al. Biomedicines. .

Abstract

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) includes patients with hepatic steatosis and at least one of five cardiometabolic risk factors. Xanthine oxidase (XO) represents a treatment target for MASLD. We aimed to evaluate the effect of two xanthine oxidase inhibitors, allopurinol and febuxostat, plus lifestyle modifications compared to lifestyle modifications alone on improving steatosis. Ninety MASLD patients were assigned to one of three groups for three months. Patients with hyperuricemia were given either allopurinol 100 mg or febuxostat 40 mg daily, along with lifestyle modifications. The third control group was only given lifestyle modifications, excluding all patients with hyperuricemia due to ethical concerns. The primary outcome was to measure the change in the controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) score as an indicator of steatosis from baseline after three months. The secondary outcome was to measure the change in serum uric acid (SUA) three months from baseline. The study found that the CAP score decreased significantly in the allopurinol group (p = 0.009), but the decline in the febuxostat or lifestyle groups was non-significant (p = 0.189 and 0.054, respectively). The SUA levels were significantly reduced in both the allopurinol and febuxostat groups (p < 0.001), with no statistical difference between the two groups (p = 0.496).

Keywords: CAP score; allopurinol; febuxostat; hepatic steatosis; hyperuricemia; metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD); non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD); serum uric acid (SUA); xanthine oxidase inhibitor.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A schematic view of the differences between FibroScan® and liver biopsy.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Flow diagram representing enrollment, allocation, follow-up, and analysis processes; UA denotes serum urate concentration.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Distribution of CAP scores stratified by study groups; data are median (range); * (p < 0.05) with significant results when compared to baseline.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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