In patients with severe obesity-associated non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), LEAP-2 has been found to slightly induce the upregulation of factors involved in fibrogenesis such as α-SMA, COL1α1, and TIMP1 via the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. The gene discussed is ACTA1; the disease is metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.