Immune and Inflammatory Pathways in Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH). An update

Abstract

Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), also known as fatty liver disease (FLD), is a major public health problem. It is considered to be the hepatic manifestation of the metabolic syndrome. Chronic inflammation of the liver is an essential key in the progression from simple hepatic steatosis to steatohepatitis, the evolutionary stage of fatty liver disease. Moreover, the innate immune system plays a crucial role in the progression of hepatic inflammation. For this reason, it is of utmost importance to elucidate the connections between immune mechanisms, Toll-like receptor cytokine signalling, in order to find new effective treatments. Further studies are necessary to test theories presented in this paper. The elucidation of mechanisms underlying the progression of hepatic steatosis towards steatohepatitis is essential for the development of useful diagnosis and treatment for medical practice.

Keywords

• non-alcoholic steatohepatitis
• NASH pathogenesis
• immune mechanism
• Toll-like receptors (TLRs)
• Interleukin-17 (IL-17)