MFN1 and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: On the other hand, hepatocytes from mice with NAFLD exhibit lower expression levels of MFN1, which correlates with the development of steatohepatitis.206,207 Additionally, treatment of hepatocytes with PA leads to downregulation of both transcript and protein levels of MFN2.208 Furthermore, diminished levels of MFN2 are observed in livers of patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) as well as in murine models of NAFLD.