Domestic researchers have discovered one of the mechanisms that cause nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, as well as a candidate material that may help to treat it.

The research team from Seoul National University said Thursday that they found a substance that suppresses "LXR-α," which is a nuclear acceptor that plays a key role in fat accumulation in the liver.

Currently, there are no medical treatments for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, which is the leading cause of hepatitis, nonalcohol-related liver cirrhosis and various other liver diseases.

The findings will appear in the June edition of the Journal of Hepatology.