Table 1.

Current medications that have been used for treatment of non- alcoholic fatty liver disease

Medication	Mechanism	Effect on histology	Recommended by AASLD/EASL
Pioglitazone	PPAR-γ	Improvement of steatosis, lobular inflammation and ballooning	Yes
Vitamin E	Anti-oxidant	Improvement of hepatocyte ballooning	Yes
Metformin	Amelioration of IR	No beneficial effect	No
Statins	HMG-CO A reductase inhibition	No beneficial effects	No
Ezetimibe	Inhibition of cholesterol absorption	Improvement of hepatocyte ballooning	No
Fibrates	PPAR-α	Improvement of hepatocyte ballooning	No
Pentoxifylline	Inhibition of TNF-α and anti-oxidants	Improvement of inflammation and ballooning	No
Losartan	ARB	Improvement of steatosis, lobular inflammation, ballooning and fibrosis	No
UDCA	Prevention of apoptosis/inflammation	Lacking data	No
Synbiotic and probiotics	Modulation of gut microbiota	Lacking data	No

PPAR-γ: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor–γ; HMG-CO A: Hydroxyl-methyl-glutaryl-coenzyme A reductase; ARB: Angiotensin receptor blockers; UDCA: Ursodeoxycholic acid; AASLD: American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases; EASL: European Association for the Study of Liver.