Academic literature on the topic 'Liver Diseases, Alcoholic'

Excessive alcohol consumption is the primary contributing factor in the development of alcoholic liver diseases (ALD). Nicotine contained in tobacco is a major addictive alkaloid, which enhances the effects of ALDs. The major enzyme involved in nicotine metabolism is cytochrome P450 2A5 (CYP2A5) which is produced in the liver. Alcohol can stimulate the CYP2A5 enzyme. We utilized cyp2a5-/- knockout mice in this research to examine the effects of CYP2A5. The cyp2a5-/- mice and wild-type (WT) mice were fed liquid ethanol diet with or without nicotine to induce ALD. Nicotine enhancing effects on ALD were observed in WT mice but not in cyp2a5-/- mice. Oxidative stress was stimulated by alcohol and further increased by nicotine in WT mice but not in cyp2a5-/-mice. Microsomal ROS production during microsomal metabolism of nicotine was increased in WT mice but not in cyp2a5-/-mice. These results suggest that nicotine enhances ALD is CYP2A5 dependent.

Adipose tissue inflammation has an impact on liver health and it has been demonstrated that chronic alcohol consumption leads to the expression of pro-inflammatory markers in the adipose tissue. A thorough characterization of alcohol-induced adipose inflammation is lacking, and is important to understand in order to identify immune-related mechanisms that drive this phenomenon. Current therapeutic regimens for alcoholic liver disease are ineffective. It is critical to understand how other organs influence liver injury in this disease when developing novel and effective therapies in the future. Alcoholic liver disease exhibits a sexual dimorphism; women are more susceptible to liver injury than men and the same paradigm exists in rodent models. Here, I demonstrate that female mice have greater alcohol-induced adipose tissue inflammation than male mice, evidenced by greater expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and cell markers. Further, female mice also exhibit higher expression of toll-like receptor genes in the adipose tissue, suggesting a potential role for the innate immune system in alcohol-induced adipose inflammation. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) has been demonstrated to drive inflammation in both the liver and adipose tissue. I used both germline and conditional knockouts of Tlr4 to characterize alcohol-induced changes in the immune cell composition of adipose tissue. Alcohol increased the number of pro-inflammatory adipose tissue macrophages. This macrophage phenotype switching is partially dependent on TLR4; germline, but not myeloid-specific, Tlr4-deletion prevents macrophage phenotype switching. Overall, my work demonstrates that alcohol-induced adipose tissue inflammation is related to liver injury and that TLR4 contributes to adipose macrophage phenotype switching.

Adipose tissue inflammation has an impact on liver health and it has been demonstrated that chronic alcohol consumption leads to the expression of pro-inflammatory markers in the adipose tissue. A thorough characterization of alcohol-induced adipose inflammation is lacking, and is important to understand in order to identify immune-related mechanisms that drive this phenomenon. Current therapeutic regimens for alcoholic liver disease are ineffective. It is critical to understand how other organs influence liver injury in this disease when developing novel and effective therapies in the future. Alcoholic liver disease exhibits a sexual dimorphism; women are more susceptible to liver injury than men and the same paradigm exists in rodent models. Here, I demonstrate that female mice have greater alcohol-induced adipose tissue inflammation than male mice, evidenced by greater expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and cell markers. Further, female mice also exhibit higher expression of toll-like receptor genes in the adipose tissue, suggesting a potential role for the innate immune system in alcohol-induced adipose inflammation. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) has been demonstrated to drive inflammation in both the liver and adipose tissue. I used both germline and conditional knockouts of Tlr4 to characterize alcohol-induced changes in the immune cell composition of adipose tissue. Alcohol increased the number of pro-inflammatory adipose tissue macrophages. This macrophage phenotype switching is partially dependent on TLR4; germline, but not myeloid-specific, Tlr4-deletion prevents macrophage phenotype switching. Overall, my work demonstrates that alcohol-induced adipose tissue inflammation is related to liver injury and that TLR4 contributes to adipose macrophage phenotype switching.

Chronic alcohol use results in accelerated liver injury, leading to alcoholic steatohepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. However, due to the complex nature of this disease process, a central, druggable mechanism has remained elusive. microRNAs are potent post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression. A single miRNA has the ability to regulate hundreds of pathways simultaneously, defining cellular fate and function. microRNA-122 (miR-122), the most abundant miRNA in hepatocytes, has a demonstrated role as an tumor suppressor, regulator of hepatocyte metabolism, and hepatic differentiation. In this dissertation I demonstrate the role of miR-122 on alcoholic liver disease (ALD) pathogenesis over four parts. In chapter II, I will demonstrate chronic alcoholic patients, free of neoplastic changes, have a reduction of miR-122 and that this miRNA regulates HIF-1α, a determinant of ALD pathogenesis. In chapter III, using hepatocytetropic adeno-associated virus 8 (AAV8) vector, I demonstrate that miR-122 inhibition mimics ALD pathogenesis, and furthermore, using hepatocyte-specific HIF-1α-null (HIF1hepKO) mice that this phenomenon is HIF-1α dependent. Given this finding, in chapter IV, I demonstrate that ectopic expression of miR-122 in vivo can reverse alcoholinduced liver damage, steatosis, and inflammation by directly targeting HIF-1α. Finally, in chapter V, I present evidence that alcohol-induced dysregulation of grainyhead-like proteins 1 and 2 (GRHL2), mediate the inhibition of miR-122 at the transcriptional level. These findings dissect a novel mechanistic regulatory axis of miR-122 and indicate a potential opportunity for restoration of miR-122 as a therapy in early ALD.

Chronic alcohol use results in accelerated liver injury, leading to alcoholic steatohepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. However, due to the complex nature of this disease process, a central, druggable mechanism has remained elusive. microRNAs are potent post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression. A single miRNA has the ability to regulate hundreds of pathways simultaneously, defining cellular fate and function. microRNA-122 (miR-122), the most abundant miRNA in hepatocytes, has a demonstrated role as an tumor suppressor, regulator of hepatocyte metabolism, and hepatic differentiation. In this dissertation I demonstrate the role of miR-122 on alcoholic liver disease (ALD) pathogenesis over four parts. In chapter II, I will demonstrate chronic alcoholic patients, free of neoplastic changes, have a reduction of miR-122 and that this miRNA regulates HIF-1α, a determinant of ALD pathogenesis. In chapter III, using hepatocytetropic adeno-associated virus 8 (AAV8) vector, I demonstrate that miR-122 inhibition mimics ALD pathogenesis, and furthermore, using hepatocyte-specific HIF-1α-null (HIF1hepKO) mice that this phenomenon is HIF-1α dependent. Given this finding, in chapter IV, I demonstrate that ectopic expression of miR-122 in vivo can reverse alcoholinduced liver damage, steatosis, and inflammation by directly targeting HIF-1α. Finally, in chapter V, I present evidence that alcohol-induced dysregulation of grainyhead-like proteins 1 and 2 (GRHL2), mediate the inhibition of miR-122 at the transcriptional level. These findings dissect a novel mechanistic regulatory axis of miR-122 and indicate a potential opportunity for restoration of miR-122 as a therapy in early ALD.

Chronic intake of alcohol can result in a range of pathology in the liver. Whilst the earliest changes observed with chronic ethanol, including the accumulation of lipid, or steatosis, are readily reversible upon cessation of alcohol consumption, longer exposure to ethanol may achieve more complex disease states including steatohepatitis, fibrosis, and cirrhosis that can cause irreversible damage and progress to fulminant hepatic failure. A key concept in the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver disease is that chronic ethanol primes the liver to increased injury through an interplay between hepatocytes and non-parenchymal cells, chiefly immune cells, of the liver. These relationships between hepatocytes and non-parenchymal cell types in alcoholic liver disease are reviewed in Chapter 1A. The Hypoxia Inducible Factors are a set of transcription factors that classically have been described as affecting a homeostatic response to conditions of low oxygen tension. Alcoholic liver disease is marked by increased hepatic metabolic demands, and some evidence exists for increased hepatic tissue hypoxia and upregulation of hypoxia-inducible factor mRNA with chronic alcohol. However, the biological significance of these findings is unknown. In Chapter 1B, we review the literature on recent investigations on the role of hypoxia inducible factors in a broad array of liver diseases, seeking to find common themes of biological function. In subsequent chapters, we investigate the hypothesis that a member of the hypoxia inducible- factor family, HIF1α, has a role in the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver disease. In Chapter 2, we establish a mouse model of alcoholic liver disease and report data confirming HIF1α activation with chronic ethanol. We demonstrate that HIF1α protein, mRNA, and DNA binding activity is upregulated in ethanol-fed mice versus pair-fed mice, and that some upregulation of HIF2α protein is observable as well. In Chapter 3, we utilize a mouse model of hepatocyte-specific HIF1α activation and demonstrate that such mice have exacerbated liver injury, including greater triglyceride accumulation than control mice. Using cre-lox technology, we introduce a degradation resistant mutant of HIF1α in hepatocytes, and after four weeks of ethanol feeding, we demonstrate that mice with the HIF1α transgene have increased liver-weight to body weight ratio and higher hepatic triglyceride levels. Additionally, several HIF1α target genes are upregulated. In Chapter 4, we examine the relationship between HIF1α activation and hepatic lipid accumulation using a recently published in vitro system, in which lipid accumulation was observed after treating Huh7 cells with the chemokine Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 (MCP-1). We report that MCP-1 treatment induces HIF1α nuclear protein accumulation, that HIF1α overexpression in Huh7 cells induces lipid accumulation, and finally, that HIF1α siRNA prevents MCP-1 induced lipid accumulation. In Chapter 5, we use mouse models to investigate the hypothesis that suppression of HIF1α in hepatocytes or cells of the myeloid lineage may have differing effects on the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver disease. We find that ethanol-fed mice expressing a hepatocyte-specific HIF1α deletion mutant exhibit less elevation in liver-weight body ratio and diminished hepatic triglycerides versus wild-type mice; furthermore, we find that challenging these mice with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) results in less liver enzyme elevation and inflammatory cytokine secretion than in wild-type mice. In Chapter 6, we offer a final summary of our findings and some directions for future work.

The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on April 6, 2010). Vita. Thesis advisor: Shivendra D. Shukla. "August 2008" Includes bibliographical references

C1q TNF Related Protein 3 (CTRP3), is a cytokine that is primarily secreted from adipose tissue, which classifies it as an adipokine. Our previous research has shown that CTRP3 prevents alcoholic fatty liver disease (ALD) in male mice. However, even when accounting for confounding factors such as absolute and relative alcohol intake, females are more sensitive to the effects of consumption compared to male mice. Therefore, the goal of this project was to determine whether CTRP3 prevented ALD in female mice. Methods: Female wild type (WT) and female CTRP3 transgenic over expressing (Tg) mice were fed an ethanol containing liquid diet (5% v/v) for 6 weeks. Daily weight and food intake measurements were taken and external heat-pads were placed under a portion of the cage to facilitate thermoregulation. Hepatic steatosis was determined by total triglyceride quantification and lipid droplet quantitation in liver sections. Data were analyzed by repeated measures ANOVA, t-test, or Log-rank (Mantel-Cox) test as appropriate. Results: There was no difference between WT and Tg mice in food intake or body weight. There was no difference in survival between WT and Tg mice, however, Tg mice trended towards a reduced rate of survival compared with WT mice (78% in WT versus 44% in Tg, p=0.13). Stereological analysis indicated no difference in the percent of lipid liver volume between the two groups (WT 7.2±3.6 vs Tg 5.1±4.1%). This finding was consistent with no difference in total hepatic triglyceride accumulation observed between WT and Tg mice (12.7±4.4 vs. 13.1±6.8 mg triglycerides/gram liver protein). Conclusion: Combined these data indicate that unlike previous studies with male mice, CTRP3 is not protective against alcohol-induced hepatic steatosis in female mice. Combined, these data indicate that the adipokines such as CTRP3 contribute to physiology in a sex-specific manner.

Les maladies du foies non-alcoholiques (NAFLD) représentent un large spectre de pathologies qui comprennent la stéatose ou la stéatohepatite non alcoolique (NASH). Avec un nombre de patients diagnostiqué en constante augmentation, les NAFLD sont devenues un problème majeur de santé publique dans le monde. Un hypothése de « multiples hits » à été décrite pour regrouper l’ensemble des dérégulations métaboliques associées à la transition de la stéatose vers la NASH. Cette étape est critique au cours de la pathogénèse des NAFLD. En effet dans le cas où la NASH n’est pas prise en charge, elle peut se transformer en une fibrose ou une cirrhose et finalement en un cancer hepatocellulaire (CHC). Ainsi, l’analyse des évènements précoces au cours des NAFLD sont essentiels pour comprendre son évolution vers des pathologies plus dommageables. Dans le foie, plusieurs populations de cellules sont impliquées dans le métabolisme et les fonctions hépatiques ainsi que dans la surveillance immunitaire. Parmi celles ci, le groupe 1 ILC est enrichie dans le foie et peut rapidement induire une réponse immunitaire en produisant des cytokines ou en induisant la mort cellulaire. Le groupe 1 ILC hépatique est composé des cellules NK (Natural Killers) et des ILC1 (Cellules Lymphoïdes Innées de type 1), deux populations de cellules qui partagent un phénotype semblable. Cependant, elles forment bien deux lignages distincts avec des caractéristiques uniques. Nous proposons donc d ‘étudier le(s) role(s) des cellules NK et des ILC1 au cours des étapes précoces des NAFLD.Dans cette étude, nous avons démontré les cellules NK et les ILC1 subissent des modifications hétérogènes au cours des étapes précoces des NAFLD. Alors que les ILC1 présentent une diminution de leurs marqueurs d’activation et d’inhibition et de production de granzyme B, nous détectons une accumulation de cellules NK produisant de l’interféron gamma (IFNg). Ces modifications sont induites rapidement au cours de la stéatose et sont même antérieures au recrutement et à l’activation d’autres cellules immunitaires du foie. Nous soulignons également l’importance du système immunitaire intestinal au cours de l’inflammation hépatique et proposons que la lamina propria de l’intestin puisse servir de réservoir de cellules NK au cours de ce processus. Finalement, nous avons démontré que l’IFNg, secrétée entre autre par les cellules NK induise des dommages au cours de la stéatose mais n’est pas impliquée dans le recrutement ou les modifications observées sur le groupe 1 ILC. Cette étude apporte de nouveaux éléments sur les étapes précoces des NAFLD ainsi que le rôle du groupe 1 ILC au cours de l’inflammation hépatique. Cette étude souligne également l’importance de la distinction entre les cellules NK et les ILC1 au cours des pathologies du foie<br>Non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLD) is a spectrum of liver pathologies that encompass diseases such as steatosis or non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). With a constant increase of patients diagnosed, NAFLD is becoming a major concern of public health worldwide. A “multiple hits” hypothesis has been described to regroup the metabolic disorders that are associated with the transition from steatosis to NASH. This transition is a critical step during NAFLD pathogenesis as untreated NASH can further develop into fibrosis, cirrhosis and ultimately to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Thus, the analysis of early events occurring during during NAFLD is critical to understand its evolution to more severe pathologies. In the liver, diverse cell populations are involved in hepatic metabolism, function and immune surveillance. Among them, the group 1 ILC is enriched in the liver and can quickly induce an immune response by producing cytokines or inducing cell death. Hepatic group 1 ILC is composed of Natural Killer (NK) cells and Innate Lymphoid Cells 1 (ILC1), two cell populations that share a similar phenotype. Nevertheless they constitute two distinct cell lineages that have unique features. Here we propose to study the roles of NK cells and ILC1 during the early stages of NAFLD.In this work, we demonstrated that NK cells and ILC1 diverge in phenotype and function during the early stages of NAFLD pathogenesis. While ILC1 showed a down-regulation of inhibitory markers and down-regulation of granzyme B, we detected an increase of interferon gamma (IFNg) secreting NK cells. These modifications were found shortly after the induction of steatosis and preceded other hepatic immune cell recruitment or activation. Our work highlighted the role of the immune intestinal populations during liver inflammation and identified the intestinal lamina propria as a potential source of NK cells during this process. Finally, we demonstrated that IFNg is inducing liver damage, but is not involved in hepatic group 1 ILC recruitment or modification in our model of steatosis.This study brings new insights on the early events of NAFLD and the role of hepatic group 1 ILC during liver inflammation. It also underlines the importance of distinguishing the roles of NK cells and ILC1 in liver pathologies