From Hypothalamic Obesity to Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease: Physiology Meets the Clinics via Metabolomics

Abstract

Metabolic health is tightly regulated by neuro-hormonal control, and systemic metabolic dysfunction may arise from altered function of the hypothalamic–anterior pituitary axis (HAPA). Ancient experimental observations of hypothalamic obesity (HO) and liver cirrhosis occurring among animals subjected to hypothalamic injury can now be explained using the more recent concepts of lipotoxicity and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). Lipotoxicity, the range of abnormalities resulting from the harmful effects of fatty acids accumulated in organs outside of adipose tissue, is the common pathogenic factor underlying closely related conditions like hypothalamic syndrome, HO, and MASLD. The hormonal deficits and the array of metabolic and metabolomic disturbances that occur in cases of HO are discussed, along with the cellular and molecular mechanisms that lead, within the MASLD spectrum, from uncomplicated steatotic liver disease to steatohepatitis and cirrhosis. Emphasis is placed on knowledge gaps and how they can be addressed through novel studies. Future investigations should adopt precision medicine approaches by precisely defining the hormonal imbalances and metabolic dysfunctions involved in each individual patient with HO, thus paving the way for tailored management of MASLD that develops in the context of altered HAPA.