Evidence mapPaperPMID 41001122Full record

ReviewFrontiers in nutrition2025

"Trust your gut": exploring the connection between gut microbiome dysbiosis and the advancement of Metabolic Associated Steatosis Liver Disease (MASLD)/Metabolic Associated Steatohepatitis (MASH): a systematic review of animal and human studies.

Wesam Bahitham, Yusra Banoun, Mutep Aljahdali, Ghufran Almuaiqly, Shahad M Bahshwan, Linah Aljahdali, Faisal M Sanai, Alexandre S Rosado, Consolato M Sergi

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Frontiers in nutrition, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
13citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

13 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Trial
  3. Microbiome-guided cancer immunotherapy: immune mechanisms, resistance pathways, and translational opportunities for precision oncology.Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico · 2026
    Review
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Review
  8. Article
  9. Frontiers in microbiology · 2026
    Article
  10. Review
  11. Review
  12. Article
  13. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Wesam BahithamKing Abdullah International Medical Research Center-WR, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Ministry of National Guard for Health Affairs, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Yusra BanounDepartment of Pharmacy Practices, College of Pharmacy, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
Mutep AljahdaliDepartment of Pharmacy Practices, College of Pharmacy, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
Ghufran AlmuaiqlyDepartment of Pharmacy Practices, College of Pharmacy, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
Shahad M BahshwanDepartment of Pharmacy Practices, College of Pharmacy, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
Linah AljahdaliDepartment of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Faisal M SanaiGastroenterology Unit, Department of Medicine, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Alexandre S RosadoBioscience, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.
Consolato M Sergi *Anatomic Pathology Division, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Metabolic Associated Steatosis Liver Disease (MASLD) and its advanced form, Metabolic Associated Steatohepatitis (MASH), represent growing global health concerns closely linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and metabolic syndrome. The gut microbiome has emerged as a key modulator in MASLD pathogenesis through the gut-liver axis, influencing hepatic fat accumulation, inflammation, and fibrosis via microbial metabolites and immune responses. Dysbiosis-characterized by altered microbial diversity and composition-contributes to hepatic lipid dysregulation, systemic inflammation, and impaired bile acid signaling. Metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), and ethanol play critical roles in disease progression. Recent innovations in precision medicine, including microbiome profiling, metabolomics, and genomics, offer promising diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. Targeted probiotics, fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), and personalized dietary interventions are under investigation for modulating the gut microbiome. This systematic review, conducted in accordance with PRISMA 2020 guidelines, is the first to comprehensively integrate both animal and human studies on MASLD/MASH-related gut microbiome alterations. It uniquely synthesizes microbial taxa, functional metabolites, and region-specific patterns-including data from underrepresented MENA populations. Eligible studies from PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science evaluated microbial composition, metabolite profiles, and associations with steatosis, inflammation, and fibrosis. The findings underscore the diagnostic and therapeutic potential of microbiome modulation and emphasize the need for longitudinal, mechanistically driven studies. This systematic review is the first to integrate both animal and human studies on MASLD/MASH-related gut microbiome alterations. Unlike previous reviews, it uniquely emphasizes microbial taxa, functional metabolites, and region-specific patterns, including underrepresented MENA populations. By synthesizing findings from diverse cohorts, this review highlights diagnostic and therapeutic opportunities while identifying persistent gaps in longitudinal data, regional representation, and multi-omics integration.

Indexed as

dysbiosisgutMASHMASLDmetabolic syndromemicrobiomeNAFLDNASH

Identifiers

PMID41001122
PMCPMC12459663

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.