Current and Emerging Therapeutic Approaches for MASLD
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Pathology, Diagnostics, and Therapeutics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 May 2026 | Viewed by 1086
Special Issue Editor
Interests: metabolic syndrome; MASLD; MASH; dyslipidemia; obesity; adipokines; atherosclerosis; cardiovascular risk
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is the most common chronic liver disease, affecting over a billion individuals worldwide. A positive diagnosis of MASLD is based on the presence of hepatic steatosis coupled with at least one cardiometabolic risk factor and no other distinguishable cause. It can gradually develop into more severe liver pathologies, including metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), cirrhosis, and liver malignancy. Despite being a global health problem, there are very limited therapeutic options against MASLD and its related diseases. To date, in 2024, there is only one drug (resmetirom) that has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of MASH.
This Special Issue aims to present a collection of articles related to the current status of drug therapy for MASLD/MASH and the latest results of new and emerging medications either treating underlying metabolic co-morbidities or directly targeting the liver.
We invite scholars researching the synthesis of new MASLD drugs, as well as those focusing on the molecular mechanisms of their action, to contribute their work to this Special Issue. This includes those interested in the field of MASLD/MASH, who are welcome to submit articles presenting both research and review works and findings on molecular mechanisms related to MASLD/MASH therapy and prevention. We are pleased to invite all types of papers, including original, narrative, and systematic reviews, to this Special Issue to widen our knowledge of this topic.
Dr. Chrysoula Boutari
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- MASLD
- MASH
- GLP-1 agonists
- anti-inflammatory agents
- anti-obesity drugs
- FGF-21
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
