Randomized placebo-controlled trial of ursodeoxycholic acid with vitamin e in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis

Dufour, Jean-François; Oneta, CM; Gonvers, JJ; Bihl, F; Cerny, A; Cereda, JM; Zala, JF; Helbling, B; Steuerwald, M; Zimmermann, A; Swiss, Association for the Study of the Liver (2006). Randomized placebo-controlled trial of ursodeoxycholic acid with vitamin e in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Clinical gastroenterology and hepatology, 4(12), pp. 1537-43. Philadelphia, Pa.: Elsevier 10.1016/j.cgh.2006.09.025

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BACKGROUND ; AIMS: Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a frequent liver disease that can progress to cirrhosis and for which there is no recognized therapy. UDCA and vitamin E have been considered separately as therapeutic options and have not been shown to be effective. This study tested their combination. METHODS: Patients with elevated aminotransferase levels and drinking less than 40 g alcohol/week with biopsy-proven NASH were randomly assigned to receive UDCA 12-15 mg.kg-1.day-1 with vitamin E 400 IU twice a day (UDCA/Vit E), UDCA with placebo (UDCA/P), or placebo/placebo (P/P). After 2 years, they underwent a second liver biopsy. Biopsy specimens were collected, blinded, and scored by a single liver pathologist. RESULTS: Forty eight patients were included, 15 in the UDCA/Vit E group, 18 in the UDCA/P group, and 15 in the P/P group; 8 patients dropped out, none because of side effects. Baseline parameters were not significantly different between the 3 groups. Body mass index remained unchanged during the study. Serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels diminished significantly in the UDCA/Vit E group. Neither the AST nor the ALT levels improved in the P/P group and only the ALT levels in the UDCA/P group. Histologically, the activity index was unchanged at the end of the study in the P/P and UDCA/P groups, but it was significantly better in the UDCA/Vit E group, mostly as a result of regression of steatosis. CONCLUSIONS: Two years of treatment with UDCA in combination with vitamin E improved laboratory values and hepatic steatosis of patients with NASH. Larger trials are warranted.

Item Type:	Journal Article (Original Article)
Division/Institute:	04 Faculty of Medicine > Department of Gastro-intestinal, Liver and Lung Disorders (DMLL) > Clinic of Visceral Surgery and Medicine > Hepatology 04 Faculty of Medicine > Pre-clinic Human Medicine > BioMedical Research (DBMR) > DBMR Forschung Mu35 > Forschungsgruppe Hepatologie 04 Faculty of Medicine > Pre-clinic Human Medicine > BioMedical Research (DBMR) > DBMR Forschung Mu35 > Forschungsgruppe Hepatologie 04 Faculty of Medicine > Service Sector > Institute of Clinical Pharmacology and Visceral Research [discontinued] 04 Faculty of Medicine > Service Sector > Institute of Pathology
UniBE Contributor:	Dufour, Jean-François, Cerny, Andreas, Zimmermann, Arthur
ISSN:	1542-3565
ISBN:	17162245
Publisher:	Elsevier
Language:	English
Submitter:	Factscience Import
Date Deposited:	04 Oct 2013 14:45
Last Modified:	05 Dec 2022 14:14
Publisher DOI:	10.1016/j.cgh.2006.09.025
PubMed ID:	17162245
Web of Science ID:	000242989900021
URI:	https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/18541 (FactScience: 733)