Cholesterol crystals may trigger some liver disease

Cholesterol crystals in the liver may stiffen the organ early in those with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD)—well before scarring develops—according to new research from a team in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, may help explain why high cholesterol worsens this type of liver disease and point to new opportunities for earlier diagnosis and treatment in people.