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Folate, alcohol, and liver disease.
Valentina Medici1, Charles H Halsted
1Department of Internal Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95817, USA. valentina.medici@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu
Molecular Nutrition & Food Research
|November 9, 2012
Summary
Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is linked to folate deficiency, impacting methionine metabolism and DNA stability. Treatments focus on correcting these metabolic and epigenetic alterations to improve liver health.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Nutritional Biochemistry
- Molecular Toxicology
Background:
- Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is frequently associated with folate deficiency.
- Folate deficiency exacerbates liver injury through altered methionine metabolism, impacting DNA synthesis and epigenetic regulation.
- Ethanol consumption contributes to ALD pathogenesis via complex interactions with folate and methionine pathways.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver disease, emphasizing ethanol's effects on methionine metabolism.
- To explore the synergistic roles of ethanol, folate deficiency, and methionine metabolism in liver injury.
- To examine current and potential therapeutic strategies for ALD targeting methionine metabolism and gene expression.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies on alcoholic liver disease, folate metabolism, and methionine pathways.
- Analysis of mechanisms linking ethanol intake to nutritional deficiencies and liver damage.
- Synthesis of evidence on epigenetic modifications and gene expression in ALD pathogenesis.
Main Results:
- Folate deficiency in ALD stems from multiple factors including poor intake and impaired absorption/excretion.
- Ethanol disrupts methionine metabolism, compromising DNA stability and antioxidant defenses.
- Epigenetic dysregulation driven by these metabolic changes plays a critical role in liver injury progression.
Conclusions:
- Understanding the interplay between ethanol, folate, and methionine metabolism is crucial for ALD pathogenesis.
- Targeting methionine metabolism and epigenetic alterations shows promise for ALD treatment.
- Further research is needed to develop effective therapies for alcoholic liver disease.
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