Alcohol and the mechanisms of liver disease
Mo Chen, Wanglei Zhong, Weiqi Xu
Abstract
Alcoholic liver disease (ALD), which is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, covers a large spectrum of liver injuries ranging from simple steatosis to steatohepatitis, advanced fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. The pathogenesis of ALD includes genetic and epigenetic alterations, oxidative stress, acetaldehyde-mediated toxicity and cytokine and chemokine-induced inflammation, metabolic reprogramming, immune damage, and dysbiosis of the gut microbiota. This review discusses the progress in the pathogenesis and molecular mechanism of ALD, which could provide evidence for further research on the potential therapeutic strategies targeting these pathways.
Topics & Concepts
MedicineSteatohepatitisHepatocellular carcinomaCirrhosisAlcoholic liver diseasePathogenesisLiver diseaseDysbiosisImmunologyInflammationFatty liverEpigeneticsDiseaseBioinformaticsCancer researchPathologyGut floraBiologyInternal medicineGeneticsGeneLiver Disease Diagnosis and TreatmentAlcohol Consumption and Health EffectsLiver Disease and Transplantation