Thiazolidinediones: Pleiotropic drugs with potent anti-inflammatory properties for tissue protection

In conclusion, TZDs are important new drugs, presently indicated for the treatment of type 2 diabetes but with a spectrum of properties which suggests their potential for treating a number of degenerative inflammatory diseases, including NASH. However, full-scale, long-term clinical trials are needed with TZDs to test their potential to treat NASH, not least because of the (hepatotoxic) legacy of the prototype TZD, troglitazone, but also in view of the escalating burden of liver disease which is accompanying the increasing global prevalence of clinical obesity and type 2 diabetes.