WNT4 and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: The results showed that the mRNA levels of hepatic ligand Wnt3a (a key ligand for HPC activation in Wnt pathway), β-catenin, and their target gene CyclinD1 were significantly higher in the HFD-elicited NAFLD model than in the control, while Wnt4 (another ligand of Wnt pathway) had no significant difference.