Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is rapidly becoming the most common disease worldwide in an era of rapid economic growth. NAFLD is a multifactorial disease, involving multiple genetic, metabolic, and environmental factors, and is closely associated with metabolic syndrome, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. NAFLD can be classified into nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFL) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which can both progress to cirrhosis and even hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Due to the enormous burden of NAFLD and its complications, no FDA-approved drugs for the treatment of NAFLD are on the market, and therapeutic targets and drug therapies are being actively investigated. In view of the various pathological mechanisms of NAFLD, numbers of preclinical studies and clinical trials have made rapid progress. This review mainly summarizes the most recently characterized mechanisms and therapeutic targets in each mechanism of NAFLD, focusing on the mechanism and application potential.

在经济快速增长的时代，非酒精性脂肪性肝病 (NAFLD) 正迅速成为全球最常见的疾病。NAFLD是一种多因素疾病，涉及多种遗传、代谢和环境因素，与代谢综合征、肥胖和心血管疾病密切相关。NAFLD可分为非酒精性脂肪性肝病（NAFL）和非酒精性脂肪性肝炎（NASH），均可进展为肝硬化甚至肝细胞癌（HCC）。由于 NAFLD 及其并发症的巨大负担，目前市场上还没有 FDA 批准的治疗 NAFLD 的药物，治疗靶点和药物疗法正在积极研究中。针对NAFLD的多种病理机制，大量的临床前研究和临床试验取得了快速进展。