PRKAA1 and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: Research indicates that Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) extracts (e.g., terpenoids, phenols, flavonoids, saponins, and alkaloids) can directly activate AMPK or regulate its upstream kinases (LKB1, CaMKKβ) and downstream effectors (SIRT1, PPARα, Nrf2), thereby improving hepatic lipid accumulation, mitigating inflammatory damage, and delaying NAFLD progression.