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Updated: Jun 15, 2026

Histological Analyses of Acute Alcoholic Liver Injury in Zebrafish
Published on: May 25, 2017
Alcoholic liver disease and the gut-liver axis
1Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, LRB 215, Worcester, MA 01605, USA. gyongyi.szabo@umassmed.edu
Abstract:
Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is one of the leading causes of liver diseases and liver-related death worldwide. Of the many factors that contribute to the pathogenesis of ALD, gut-derived lipopolysaccharide (LPS) plays a central role in induction of steatosis, inflammation, and fibrosis in the liver. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms by which alcohol contributes to increased gut permeability, the activation of Kupffer cells, and the inflammatory cascade by LPS. The role of the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) complex in LPS recognition and the importance of the TLR4-induced signaling pathways are evaluated in ALD.
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