Gut-Liver Axis in Alcoholic Liver Disease

By G. Szabo. Gastroenterology, 2014

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Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) has been amongst the leading causes of liver 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 is increasingly recognized as a major factor in ALD. Bacterial endotoxin, LPS, is a prototypic microbe-derived inflammatory signal that contributes to inflammation in ALD through activation of the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). Recent studies also demonstrated 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.

Subfields: Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Epidemiology, Physiology

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/aeecee768aa19809cb35d5aed0e803ba2dc68867