University of Massachusetts Medical School Faculty Publications
Title
Gut-liver axis in alcoholic liver disease
UMMS Affiliation
Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology
Publication Date
2015-01-01
Document Type
Article
Subjects
Animals; Bacteria; Humans; Intestines; Liver; Liver Diseases, Alcoholic; Microbiota; Permeability; Prognosis; Signal Transduction
Disciplines
Digestive System Diseases | Gastroenterology | Hepatology
Abstract
Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) has been among the leading causes of cirrhosis and liver-related death worldwide for decades. Early discoveries in alcoholic liver disease identified increased levels of bacterial endotoxin in the portal circulation, suggesting a role for gut-derived toxins in ALD. Indeed, alcohol consumption can disrupt the intestinal epithelial barrier and result in increased gut permeability that increasingly is recognized as a major factor in ALD. Bacterial endotoxin, lipopolysaccharide, is a prototypic microbe-derived inflammatory signal that contributes to inflammation in ALD through activation of the Toll-like receptor 4. Recent studies also have shown that alcohol consumption is associated with alterations in the gut microbiome, and the dysbalance of pathogenic and commensal organisms in the intestinal microbiome may contribute to the abnormal gut-liver axis in ALD. Indeed, bacterial decontamination improves ALD both in human and animal models. This short review summarizes recent findings and highlights emerging trends in the gut-liver axis relevant to ALD.
DOI of Published Version
10.1053/j.gastro.2014.10.042
Source
Gastroenterology. 2015 Jan;148(1):30-6. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2014.10.042. Epub 2014 Nov 11. Link to article on publisher's site
Related Resources
Journal/Book/Conference Title
Gastroenterology
PubMed ID
25447847
Repository Citation
Szabo, Gyongyi, "Gut-liver axis in alcoholic liver disease" (2015). University of Massachusetts Medical School Faculty Publications. 639.
https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/faculty_pubs/639