Cited by 1,963Alcohol Consumption and Health EffectsLiver physiology and pathologyLiver Disease and Transplantation

Alcoholic Liver Disease: Pathogenesis and New Therapeutic Targets

Open access
Gao, Bin, Bataller, Ramon·2011·Gastroenterology

Abstract

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is a major cause of chronic liver disease worldwide and can lead to fibrosis and cirrhosis. The latest surveillance report published by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism showed that liver cirrhosis was the 12th leading cause of death in the United States, with a total of 29,925 deaths in 2007, 48% of which were alcohol related. The spectrum of ALD includes simple steatosis, alcoholic hepatitis, fibrosis, cirrhosis, and superimposed hepatocellular carcinoma. Early work on the pathogenesis of the disease focused on ethanol metabolism-associated oxidative stress and glutathione depletion, abnormal methionine metabolism, malnutrition, and production of endotoxins that activate Kupffer cells. We review findings from recent studies that have characterized specific intracellular signaling pathways, transcriptional factors, aspects of innate immunity, chemokines, epigenetic features, microRNAs, and stem cells that are associated with ALD, improving our understanding of its pathogenesis. Despite this progress, no targeted therapies are available. The cornerstone of treatment for alcoholic hepatitis remains as it was 40 years ago: abstinence, nutritional support, and corticosteroids. There is an urgent need to develop new pathophysiology-oriented therapies. Recent translational studies of human samples and animal models have identified promising therapeutic targets.

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Registry

Crossref · 10.1053/j.gastro.2011.09.002

Cites

161 of 161 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Alcoholic fatty liver is observed in up to 90% of heavy drinkers.

    “Alcoholic fatty liver is defined by fat accumulation in hepatocytes without substantial inflammation, or hepatic fibrosis, and is observed in up to 90% of heavy drinkers [9,11,12,13,14].”

    From Pathophysiological Aspects of Alcohol Metabolism in the Liver (2021) · cites this paper as [11]

    The Spectrum, Risk Factors, and Comorbidities section says fatty liver develops in more than 90% of heavy drinkers. That contradicts the attributed figure of up to 90%. (LLM, conf=0.90)

    Checked by a reasoning model — may be wrong.

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is caused by chronic or binge consumption of alcohol.

    “Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is a globally prevalent chronic liver disease caused by chronic or binge consumption of alcohol.”

    From Pathophysiological Aspects of Alcohol Metabolism in the Liver (2021) · cites this paper as [11]

    The Abstract describes alcohol as a major cause of chronic liver disease, and “Spectrum, Risk Factors, and Comorbidities” links heavy drinking to ALD. That section also compares daily heavy drinking with episodic or binge drinking, but it does not establish that binge drinking alone causes ALD. (LLM, conf=0.82)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Heavy long-term alcohol consumption accelerates the transition of alcoholic fatty liver into alcoholic hepatitis.

    “Heavy long-term alcohol consumption accelerates the transition of alcoholic fatty liver into alcoholic hepatitis, which is characterized by steatosis, ballooning hepatocytes, and infiltration of neutrophils with or without fibrosis [11,12,13,14,15,16].”

    From Pathophysiological Aspects of Alcohol Metabolism in the Liver (2021) · cites this paper as [11]

    The Spectrum, Risk Factors, and Comorbidities section says fatty liver is an early response to heavy drinking and that alcoholic hepatitis may occur in patients with underlying alcoholic liver disease and heavy alcohol intake. The Pathogenesis > AH section says hepatitis develops in patients with steatosis and describes ballooning hepatocytes, neutrophilic infiltration, steatosis, and fibrosis. These passages support the progression and histologic description, but do not establish that long-term heavy drinking accelerates the specific transition from fatty liver to hepatitis. (LLM, conf=0.85)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Alcohol metabolism generates products that damage the liver, resulting in ALD.

    “Alcohol metabolism generates products that damage the liver, resulting in alcoholic liver disease (ALD), a main cause of chronic liver disease [4,9,10,11].”
  • HBV promotes steatosis through inducing mitochondrial dysfunction and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors by the HBx protein.

    “through inducing mitochondrial dysfunction and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors by the HBx protein [94]”

    From Etiology-Based Treatment for Unresectable/Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Focus on Viral Hepatitis and Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis (2025) · cites this paper as [94]

    The “Alcoholic Fatty Liver (Steatosis)” section links disrupted mitochondrial fatty-acid oxidation and PPAR-α inactivation to alcohol-induced steatosis, not to HBV or HBx. The “Spectrum, Risk Factors, and Comorbidities” section mentions hepatitis B only in connection with alcohol’s effects on liver-disease progression. Searches for HBx and HBV-induced steatosis found no passage addressing the claimed mechanism; page numbers were not available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.76)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Authors
Gao, B., & Bataller, R.
Affiliations
  • National Institutes of Health (US)
  • Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (ES)
Corresponding author
  • Gao, Bin
  • Bataller, Ramon
Venue
Gastroenterology
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2011-11
Volume
141
Issue
5
Pages
1572-1585
ISSN
0016-5085 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2060637877
Cited by
1,963
References
161
Citations by year
2026: 104 · 2025: 125 · 2024: 132 · 2023: 134 · 2022: 149 · 2021: 162 · 2020: 164 · 2019: 151 · 2018: 154 · 2017: 143 · 2016: 135 · 2015: 142 · 2014: 120 · 2013: 84 · 2012: 56
FWCI
10.54
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Gastroenterology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (Z99‐AA999999)
  • National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (ZIAAA000369)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pathology and Forensic Medicine › Alcohol Consumption and Health Effects
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Hepatology › Liver physiology and pathology
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Hepatology › Liver Disease and Transplantation
Keywords
alcoholic liver disease, alcoholic hepatitis, liver fibrosis, liver cirrhosis, alcohol metabolism, oxidative stress, glutathione depletion, methionine metabolism, Kupffer cells, endotoxin, intracellular signaling, transcription factors, innate immunity, chemokines, epigenetics, microRNA, stem cells, therapeutic target, corticosteroids, nutritional support
MeSH terms
Adrenal Cortex Hormones, Alcohol Drinking, Humans, Liver Diseases, Alcoholic, Temperance, Liver Transplantation, Oxidative Stress, Nutritional Support

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