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Review
. 2018 Jun 5;6(2):47.
doi: 10.3390/medsci6020047.

The Role of the Gut Microbiome in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Sanjoy Roychowdhury  1 , Praveen Conjeevaram Selvakumar  2 , Gail A M Cresci  3   4   5
Affiliations
Review

The Role of the Gut Microbiome in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Sanjoy Roychowdhury et al. Med Sci (Basel). .

Abstract

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the leading cause of chronic liver disease, with prevalence increasing in parallel with the rising incidence in obesity. Believed to be a "multiple-hit" disease, several factors contribute to NAFLD initiation and progression. Of these, the gut microbiome is gaining interest as a significant factor in NAFLD prevalence. In this paper, we provide an in-depth review of the progression of NAFLD, discussing the mechanistic modes of hepatocyte injury and the potential role for manipulation of the gut microbiome as a therapeutic strategy in the prevention and treatment of NAFLD.

Keywords: NAFLD; apoptosis; gut microbiome; necroptosis; probiotics.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Gut Microbiota Predominance. Reprinted with permission, Cleveland Clinic Center for Medical Art & Photography © 2015–2018. All Rights Reserved. Illustration by David Schumick, BS, CMI.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Hepatic cell death pathway and liver injury in response to high fat diet exposure. A HFD induces multiple cell death mechanisms including both caspase-dependent apoptosis and RIP3-driven necroptosis in the liver. Inhibition of RIP3 exacerbates hepatocyte apoptosis following exposure to a HFD, and thus aggravates liver injury and inflammation. A high-fat diet also induces apoptosis in adipocytes. Adipocyte apoptosis drives monocyte/macrophage infiltration, as well as impairs glucose homeostasis. Reprinted with permission, Cleveland Clinic Center for Medical Art & Photography © 2015–2018. All Rights Reserved. Illustration by David Schumick, BS, CMI.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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