LIPIDS AND THE LIVER: THE SYSTEMIC CONSEQUENCES OF HUMAN FATTY LIVER DISEASE

SOOKOIAN S

Mendoza

Congreso; Reunion Anual Sociedad Argentina de Bioquimica y Biologia Molecular; 2012

SAIB

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) results from the abnormal accumulation of lipids within hepatocytes, mostly in the form of triglycerides. This disease is commonly associated with abdominal obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and dyslipemia, the typical components of the metabolic syndrome (MS). There is indeed a general agreement about NAFLD is the hepatic manifestation of MS. People with MS are at risk for cardiovascular disease, including coronary heart disease and stroke. The importance of NAFLD and its relationship with the MS is now increasingly recognized as recent data suggest that NAFLD is linked to increased cardiovascular risk independently of the broad spectrum of risk factors of the MS. Indeed, it is hypothesized that NAFLD is not merely a marker of cardiovascular disease but may also be involved in its pathogenesis, and that both entities share common pathways. We observed that the liver plays an important role in the development of CV disease, as a ?pro-inflammatory? and ?pro-atherogenic? organ. In fact, we observed that steatohepatitis increase atherosclerotic and cardiovascular risk by local overexpression of mediators of atherogenesis, endothelial damage, and regulators of blood pressure. In addition, we showed that epigenetic changes in liver DNA modulate peripheral insulin resistance and intermediate phenotypes of the MS. Referencias Gut. 2012 Aug 9., Clin Sci (Lond). 2013 Jan 1;124(1):53-63., Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2012 Jul;15(4):350-6., Hepatology. 2012 Sep;56(3):1185-6, Atherosclerosis. 2011 Oct;218(2):378-85., Hepatology. 2010 Dec;52(6):1992-2000., Atherosclerosis. 2010 Apr;209(2):585-91. J Hepatol. 2008 Oct;49(4):600-7.