Clinical Observation On The Therapeutic Efficacy Of L-Carnitine And Glycyrrhiazte Diammonium In Treating Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Objective: Fatty liver is a condition of hepatic steatosis caused by many risk factors and may progress to liver fibrosis and cirrhosis. Thus, treatment should be given for patients who are at risk of developing severe liver disease. However, the management of fatty liver is less than certain. The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the therapeutic effects of L-Carnitine combined with Glycyrrhiazte diammonium in the treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).Methods: A total of 100 patients with NAFLD demonstrated by color Doppler ultrasound examination were randomized divided into two groups. The treatment group (n = 62) was intravenously given L-Carnitine 1 000 mg and Glycyrrhiazte diammonium 150 mg once daily for 4 weeks. The control group (n = 38) was treated with Glycyrrhiazte diammonium only. After 4 weeks of treatment, serum transaminase and lipid levels, and liver ultrasonography were repeated.Results: The serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were significantly decreased after treatment with Glycyrrhiazte diammonium combined with or without L-Carnitine, but there were no significant differences between the two groups. Serum triglyceride (TG) and total cholesterol (TC) levels were (2.50±1.44) and (4.98±2.12) mmol/L respectively in the patients after treatment with L-Carnitine and Glycyrrhiazte diammonium, which were significantly lower than those prior to treatment (P < 0.01). No significant changes in serum levels of TG and TC were observed before and after treatment in the control group. Ultrasonography showed resolution of fatty liver in 58.1% of patients treated with L-Carnitine and Glycyrrhiazte diammonium, which were significantly higher than 28.9% in the control group (P < 0.05). The total effective rate for decreasing serum lipid level in treatment group was 96.7%, which was significantly higher than 44.7% in control group.Conclusions: L-Carnitine in combination with Glycyrrhiazte diammonium has a reliable therapeutic effect on NAFLD in improving liver function and decreasing serum lipid level.