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Advances in alcoholic liver disease.
Zhenyuan Song1, Swati Joshi-Barve, Shrish Barve
1Department of Internal Medicine, University of Louisville Medical Center, 550 South Jackson Street, ACB 3rd floor, Louisville, KY 40292, USA.
Current Gastroenterology Reports
|January 15, 2004
Summary
Cytokines significantly impact liver injury, with harmful types implicated in alcoholic and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Modulating beneficial cytokines offers a promising therapeutic strategy for preventing and treating liver diseases.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Immunology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Cytokines are crucial cell communicators produced by liver cells.
- They can trigger liver cell death (necrosis or apoptosis) or recruit immune cells, causing damage.
- Elevated levels of certain cytokines are linked to liver diseases like alcoholic liver disease (ALD) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the role of cytokines in human and experimental liver injury.
- To explore the potential of cytokine modulation for treating liver conditions.
- To focus on beneficial cytokines in preventing and treating ALD, NASH, and hepatitis C.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on cytokine function in liver injury.
- Analysis of cytokine profiles in ALD, NASH, and hepatitis C.
- Examination of therapeutic strategies involving cytokine modulation.
Main Results:
- Hepatotoxic cytokines like tumor necrosis factor-alpha are elevated in ALD and NASH.
- Transforming growth factor-beta is a key cytokine in hepatic fibrosis.
- Beneficial cytokines, including interleukin-10, -6, and adiponectin, show protective effects.
Conclusions:
- Cytokines play a dual role in liver injury, with both detrimental and beneficial effects.
- Targeting cytokine pathways and utilizing beneficial cytokines are potential therapeutic avenues.
- Further research into cytokine modulation may lead to novel treatments for liver diseases.