Research progress on brownadipose tissue in treatment of metabolic-associated fatty liver disease and imaging evaluation

At present, metabolic-associated fatty liver disease （MAFLD） has become the most common liver disease worldwide. MAFLD can not only progress into liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, but also be closely related to the incidence and development of metabolic diseases including obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular diseases. Currently, no highly-effective drugs have been approved for clinical treatment of MAFLD. In recent years, the potential role of brown adipose tissue （BAT） in MAFLD has attracted increasing attention. However, the association between BAT and MAFLD and the mechanism of BAT in the treatment of MAFLD remain to be elucidated. In this article,recent research progress upon the role of BAT in the progression and treatment of MAFLD was reviewed, and advances in relevant imaging examination were analyzed, aiming to further unravel the association between BAT and MAFLD and explore the feasibility of BAT as a new therapeutic target for MAFLD.