Honey preparation in complex therapy of metabolically associated fatty liver disease

The aim of the article. Evaluation of the clinical effectiveness of the natural honey drug Metrop GP in patients with metabolically associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). Materials and methods. A prospective randomized open multi-center study was conducted. 70 patients aged 39 to 55 years with an established diagnosis of MAFLD were included. The study group consisted of 40 patients, the control group - 30 patients. All patients received drug therapy with the hepatoprotective drug S-ademetionine. Patients in the study group were also prescribed a 10-day course of Metrop GP therapy. For a detailed assessment of the effect of the honey preparation, all subjects were divided into subgroups depending on the genesis of MAFLD: obesity/type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2)/metabolic syndrome (MS). The dynamics of complaints was assessed. The effect of the Metrop GP on biochemical blood parameters (indicators of liver cytolysis and cholestasis, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism) and oxidative stress markers was studied. The dynamics of all indicators were assessed twice (before the study and 2 weeks after the 10-day course of treatment with Metrop GP). Non-invasive assessment of liver steatosis and fibrosis was performed using the FibroMax serological test once before the start of therapy. The study was approved by the ethics committee of Union Clinic LLC (St. Petersburg). Protocol No. 1-06/2023 dated June 6, 2023. All patients in the study group signed voluntary informed consent to conduct the study. Statistical processing of the results was carried out using SPSS 26 for Windows. Differences were considered significant at a significance level of p<0.05 (95%). Results. According to the results obtained at the end of the study, patients receiving additional Metrop GP as part of complex therapy showed a statistically significant improvement in laboratory parameters of the indices of liver cytolysis, lipid metabolism and antioxidant status, which was not achieved in the comparison subgroups. In patients with MAFLD and type 2 diabetes, a significant decrease in glucose levels was also noted during the study therapy, in contrast to the control subgroup. Patients from all study groups noted an improvement in general well-being and a decrease in dyspeptic symptoms, but without significant differences. The study drug was well tolerated. Conclusion. The addition of the hepatoprotector Metrop GP to the treatment of MAFLD leads to an improvement in lipid metabolism, normalization of the indices of liver cytolysis and the body’s antioxidant system.