Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0015695 (fatty liver)
 13,941 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Adiponectin is an abundant adipose-specific protein, which acts as an anti-diabetic, anti-atherogenic, and anti-inflammatory adipokine. Although recent advances in the field of adiponectin have been made by the identification of adiponectin receptors and by the understanding about relationship between its multimerization and functions, detailed molecular background remains unclear. Our established anti-human adiponectin antibodies, ANOC 9103 and ANOC 9104, blocked some adiponectin functions such as the growth inhibition of B-lymphocytes on stromal cells and the inhibition of acetylated LDL uptake in macrophages, suggesting that they may recognize important functional regions of adiponectin. As a result of epitope mapping based on the ability to bind to the deleted adiponectin mutants, we identified that these antibodies recognize amino-terminal region of adiponectin before the beginning of the collagen-like domain. Notably, a peptide fragment (DQETTTQGPGVLLPLPKGACTGWMA) corresponding to amino acid residues 17-41 of human adiponectin could bind to restricted types of cells and block adiponectin-induced cyclooxygenase-2 gene expression and prostaglandin E2 production in MS-5 stromal cells. Moreover, the deletion of its amino-terminal region reduced the abilities to inhibit not only collagen-induced platelet aggregation but also diet-induced hepatic steatosis. These data indicate that amino-terminal region of adiponectin is a physiologically functional domain and that a novel receptor, which recognizes amino-terminal region of adiponectin, may exist on some types of cells. Further investigations will contribute to the understanding of molecular mechanisms about adiponectin functions as well as to the designing of novel strategies for the treatment of patients with insulin-resistance, vascular dysfunction, and chronic inflammation.
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PMID:Identification of amino-terminal region of adiponectin as a physiologically functional domain. 1640 69

Alcoholic liver disease has a known etiology but a complex pathogenesis. The understanding of how alcohol damages the liver has expanded substantially over the last decade. In particular the genesis of fatty liver, the effect of the metabolites of ethanol oxidation, the interaction between endotoxin and kupffer cells, and the genetic predisposition to develop severe liver disease have been the focus of a great deal of research. Recent studies have demonstrated that in addition to the altered redox state ethanol induced lipid accumulation by altering the expression and transcriptional regulation of nuclear receptors such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor a and sterol regulatory element binding protein 1 which are involved in the expression of enzymes regulating lipid metabolism. Aldehydes generated by ethanol oxidizing pathways are involved in several toxic effects of alcohol by forming protein adducts which are responsible for activation of specific intracellular signaling pathways which modulate collagen synthesis and inflammatory response. This latter effect was also coordinated by kupffer cells, which are activated by portal vein endotoxin to release cytokines and chemokines. These actions appear to be in part dependent on genetic factors including polymorphism of genes belonging to ethanol metabolizing enzymes and to inflammatory/immune response. These complex pathways leading to liver injury offer many targets for potential therapeutic approaches.
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PMID:Molecular mechanisms of alcohol-induced liver injury. An Update. 1648 76

The newly developed elastometer, FibroScan((R)), was utilized to evaluate liver fibrosis in hepatitis C virus (HCV)- and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-coinfected 33 hemophiliacs and HIV-uninfected 24 patients with chronic hepatitis C. Chronicity in the liver was categorized into 4 stages by abdominal ultrasound (AUS): 1 (normal or fatty liver); 2 (chronic liver disease, mild); 3 (moderate); and 4 (severe). Stiffness of the liver was significantly increased as AUS stages advanced: 5.4+/-2.2 (N=3) versus 7.5+/-2.7 (N=9), in stage 1; 4.9+/-1.7 (N=2) versus 9.9+/-6.0 (N=10), in stage 2, 13.5+/-4.7 (N=5) versus 12.9+/-5.9 (N=6), in stage 3, and 22.0+/-9.5 (N=14) versus 28.1+/-21.3 (N=8), in stage 4, in non-HIV group and in HIV group, respectively (P=0.004 and 0.007). Stiffness was correlated with AUS stages (r=0.740, P<0.001), platelet counts (PLT; r=-0.642, P=0.001) and 7S domain of type IV collagen (IV-coll; r=0.480, P=0.024) in non-HIV group, while in HIV group, with IV-coll (r=0.801, P<0.001), AUS stages (r=-0.603, P<0.001), procollagen type III peptides (P-III-P; r=0.621, P=0.001), PLT (r=-0.480, P=0.005), and hyaluronic acid (r=0.433, P=0.027). FibroScan((R)) is absolutely noninvasive and can be the alternative to liver biopsy, especially in patients with bleeding tendency.
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PMID:Usefulness of elastometry in evaluating the extents of liver fibrosis in hemophiliacs coinfected with hepatitis C virus and human immunodeficiency virus. 1671 34

Epidemiological studies indicate that obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes are important comorbidities of patients with ischemic heart disease and increase mortality and development of congestive heart failure after myocardial infarction. Although ob/ob and db/db mice are commonly used to study obesity with insulin resistance or diabetes, mutations in the leptin gene or its receptor are rarely the cause of obesity in humans, which is, instead, primarily a consequence of dietary and lifestyle factors. Therefore, we used a murine model of diet-induced obesity to examine the physiological effects of obesity and the inflammatory and healing response of diet-induced obese (DIO) mice after myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury. DIO mice developed hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance and hepatic steatosis, with significant ectopic lipid deposition in the heart and cardiac hypertrophy in the absence of significant changes in blood pressure. The mRNA levels of chemokines at 24 h and cytokines at 24 and 72 h of reperfusion were higher in DIO than in lean mice. In granulation tissue at 72 h of reperfusion, macrophage density was significantly increased, whereas neutrophil density was reduced, in DIO mice compared with lean mice. At 7 days of reperfusion, collagen deposition in the scar was significantly reduced and left ventricular (LV) dilation and cardiac hypertrophy were increased, indicative of adverse LV remodeling, in infarcted DIO mice. Characterization of a murine diet-induced model of obesity and insulin resistance that satisfies many aspects commonly observed in human obesity allows detailed examination of the adverse cardiovascular effects of diet-induced obesity at the molecular level.
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PMID:Effects of diet-induced obesity on inflammation and remodeling after myocardial infarction. 1673 44

The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the efficacy of Alisma orientalis methanolic extract (AOME) on the experimental nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) induced by high-fat diet. Rats were fed with high-fat diet for six weeks and then gavaged the AOME for another six weeks. Typical pathological symptoms of NAFLD occurred in the high-fat diet rats. Administration with the AOME (150,300 and 600 mg kg (-1)) markedly decreased the serum and liver lipids; the high level of fasting serum glucose was reduced and insulin resistance was improved. The AOME treatment was also helpful in preventing the oxidative stress by lessening lipid peroxidation and activating antioxidant enzymes. Markers of the liver injury, aminotransferase abnormalities and hepatomegaly were improved and morphological changes, such as liver steatosis, mixed inflammation and collagen deposition, were lessened in rats treated with the AOME. These results suggested that the AOME showed hepatoprotective effects on NAFLD and may be a potential clinical application for treatment of this chronic liver disease.
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PMID:Protective effects of the Alisma orientalis extract on the experimental nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. 1703 63

1. Fenofibrate and xuezhikang are two types of drugs widely used in the treatment of dyslipidaemia in China. The main purpose of present study was to test the efficacies and explore the potential mechanisms of action of the two lipid-lowering agents on high-fat diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). 2. Rats were randomly divided into four groups, with eight rats per group. One group was given normal diet, whereas the other three groups were fed a high-fat diet. Forty-two days later, two of the high-fat diet-fed groups were administered fenofibrate (100 mg/kg, p.o.) and xuezhikang (300 mg/kg, p.o.) for another 42 consecutive days. The other two groups were administered placebo (saline) by gavage. 3. Typical pathological symptoms of NAFLD occurred in the high-fat diet groups. Fenofibrate and xuezhikang treatment markedly improved NAFLD, ameliorating dyslipidaemia and fat accumulation in the liver, improving insulin resistance and ameliorating oxidative stress. Hepatic steatosis, necro-inflammation and collagen deposition were lessened in the drug-treated groups. However, both xuezhikang and fenofibrate failed to reverse hepatomegaly and fenofibrate even aggravated it. Xuezhikang reversed aminotransferase abnormalities, but fenofibrate had less of an effect. 4. The common therapeutic mechanism of action of fenofibate and xuezhikang likely involves inhibition of the hepatic expression of tumour necrosis factor-alpha. Fenofibrate upregulated mRNA levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) alpha in the liver, whereas xuezhikang had no effect on the hepatic expression of PPARalpha and this may explain, in part, their different effects on the NAFLD rats. 5. The results suggest that fenofibrate and xuezhikang may have potential clinical application in the treatment of NAFLD. However, the side-effects of fenofibrate and the underlying constituents of xuezhikang need to be determined and investigated further.
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PMID:Effects of fenofibrate and xuezhikang on high-fat diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. 1720 32

Chronic alcoholism is associated with fatty liver and fibrosis characterized by collagen accumulation. Seeds of fenugreek, an annual herb, are reported to possess hepatoprotective activity. The study aims to investigate the effects of fenugreek seed polyphenol extract (FPEt) on liver lipids and collagen in experimental hepatotoxic rats. Hepatotoxicity was induced in male albino Wistar rats by administrating ethanol (6 g/kg per day) for 30 days. Control rats were given isocaloric glucose solution. FPEt was co-administered with ethanol at a dose of 200 mg/kg per day for the next 30 days. Silymarin was used as a positive control. Ethanol treatment caused increase in plasma and liver lipids, together with alterations in collagen content and properties. Administration of FPEt to alcohol-fed rats significantly improved lipid profile and reduced collagen content, crosslinking, aldehyde content and peroxidation. The effects were comparable with that of silymarin. FPEt administration had a positive influence on both lipid profile and on the quantitative and qualitative properties of collagen in alcoholic liver disease. The protective effect is presumably due to the bioactive phytochemicals in fenugreek seeds.
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PMID:Fenugreek seed (Trigonella foenum graecum) polyphenols inhibit ethanol-induced collagen and lipid accumulation in rat liver. 1745 53

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) causes chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) during sleep. OSA is associated with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in obese individuals and may contribute to progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease from steatosis to NASH. The purpose of this study was to examine whether CIH induces inflammatory changes in the liver in mice with diet-induced hepatic steatosis. C57BL/6J mice (n = 8) on a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet were exposed to CIH for 6 mo and were compared with mice on the same diet exposed to intermittent air (control; n = 8). CIH caused liver injury with an increase in serum ALT (461 +/- 58 U/l vs. 103 +/- 16 U/l in the control group; P < 0.01) and AST (637 +/- 37 U/l vs. 175 +/- 13 U/l in the control group; P < 0.001), whereas alkaline phosphatase and total bilirubin levels were unchanged. Histology revealed hepatic steatosis in both groups, with mild accentuation of fat staining in the zone 3 hepatocytes in mice exposed to CIH. Animals exposed to CIH exhibited lobular inflammation and fibrosis in the liver, which were not evident in control mice. CIH caused significant increases in lipid peroxidation in serum and liver tissue; significant increases in hepatic levels of myeloperoxidase and proinflammatory cytokines IL-1beta, IL-6, and CXC chemokine MIP-2; a trend toward an increase in TNF-alpha; and an increase in alpha1(I)-collagen mRNA. We conclude that CIH induces lipid peroxidation and inflammation in the livers of mice on a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet.
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PMID:Chronic intermittent hypoxia causes hepatitis in a mouse model of diet-induced fatty liver. 1800 63

Fatty liver in obese patients is emerging as one of the most common causes of chronic liver disease. Obese patients are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), and aggravating non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), developing into steatohepatitis (NASH) and hepatic fibrosis. Little is known of the possible impact on liver fibrogenesis of diabetes type 2 associated with obesity and NAFLD. Fifty-two morbidly obese patients were evaluated with complete clinical and laboratory medical assessment. Liver biopsy material was fixed in formalin, routinely processed to paraffin blocks, cut into 4-microm sections, stained with HE, PAS, Masson's trichrome and reticulin. Immunohistochemical stains included collagen IV, SMA and laminin. Within the initial group of 52, 25 patients had DM type 2, mean age 45.8 years. Patients with diabetes were older; had higher BMI, liver enzyme tests, glucose, cholesterol, and triglycerides; and lower albumin concentration. Livers of diabetics had significantly more severe steatosis and rich perisinusoidal collagen IV, laminin and SMA accumulation without histologically detectable NASH and irrespective of the degree of steatosis. Obese patients with type 2 DM and insulin resistance develop more severe NAFLD and early sinusoidal fibrosclerosis.
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PMID:Fibrogenesis in fatty liver associated with obesity and diabetes mellitus type 2. 1784 88

Progenitors regenerate fatty livers but the mechanisms involved are uncertain. The Hedgehog pathway regulates mesendodermal progenitors and modulates mesenchymal-epithelial interactions during tissue remodeling. To determine if Hedgehog signaling increases in liver progenitors during fatty liver injury, we compared expression of Hedgehog ligands and target genes across a spectrum of injury. Leptin-deficient ob/ob mice with fatty livers and their healthy lean littermates were studied before and after exposure to the hepatotoxin, ethionine. At baseline, ob/ob mice had greater liver damage than controls. Ethionine induced liver injury in both ob/ob and lean mice, with greater injury occurring in ob/ob mice. After ethionine, the ob/ob mice developed liver atrophy and fibrosis. Liver injury increased hepatic accumulation of progenitors, including ductular cells that produced and responded to Hedgehog ligands. A dose-response relationship was demonstrated between liver injury and expansion of Hedgehog-responsive progenitors. In severely damaged, atrophic livers, nuclei in mature-appearing hepatocytes accumulated the Hedgehog-regulated mesenchymal transcription factor, Gli2 and lost expression of the liver epithelial transcription factor, hepatocyte nuclear factor 6 (HNF-6). Hepatic levels of collagen mRNA and pericellular collagen fibrils increased concomitantly. Hence, fatty liver injury increases Hedgehog activity in liver progenitors, and this might promote epithelial-mesenchymal transitions that result in liver fibrosis.
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PMID:Hepatic accumulation of Hedgehog-reactive progenitors increases with severity of fatty liver damage in mice. 1795 94


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