LEP and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis: To validate the expression of the top 20 hub genes in the progression of NAFLD, NAFL model of leptin knockout (ob/ob) and control (ob/m) mice fed with chew diet for 16 weeks and NASH model of C57BL/6 mice fed with HFHC diet or normal chew diet for 28 weeks were established respectively (Figure 5A).