Infiltrating Polymorphonuclear Leukocytes and Apoptotic Bodies Derived From Hepatocytes but Not From Ballooning Hepatocytes Containing Mallory Bodies Show Nuclear DNA Fragmentation in Alcoholic Hepatitis

Combined Toxicity Evaluation of Ochratoxin A and Aflatoxin B1 on Kidney and Liver Injury, Immune Inflammation, and Gut Microbiota Alteration Through Pair-Feeding Pullet Model

Ochratoxin A (OTA) and aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) are often co-contaminated, but their synergistic toxicity in poultry is limitedly described. Furthermore, the traditional ad libitum feeding model may fail to distinguish the specific impact of mycotoxins on the biomarkers and the indirect effect of mildew on the palatability of feed. A pair-feeding model was introduced to investigate the specific effect and the indirect effect of the combined toxicity of OTA and AFB1, which were independent and dependent on feed intake, respectively. A total of 180 one-day-old pullets were randomly divided into 3 groups with 6 replicates, and each replicate contained 10 chicks. The control group (Group A) and the pair-feeding group (Group B) received the basal diet without mycotoxin contamination. Group C was administrated with OTA- and AFB1-contaminated feed (101.41 μg/kg of OTA + 20.10 μg/kg of AFB1). The scale of feeding in Group B matched with the feed intake of Group C. The trial lasted 42 days. Compared with the control group, co-contamination of OTA and AFB1 in feed could adversely affect the growth performance (average daily feed intake (ADFI), body weight (BW), average daily weight gain (ADG), feed conversion ratio (FCR), and shank length (SL)), decrease the relative weight of the spleen (p < 0.01), and increase the relative weight of the kidney (p < 0.01). Moreover, the reduction of feed intake could also adversely affect the growth performance (BW, ADG, and SL), but not as severely as mycotoxins do. Apart from that, OTA and AFB1 also activated the antioxidative and inflammation reactions of chicks, increasing the level of catalase (CAT), reactive oxygen species (ROS), and interleukin-8 (IL-8) while decreasing the level of IL-10 (p < 0.01), which was weakly influenced by the feed intake reduction. In addition, OTA and AFB1 induced histopathological changes and apoptosis in the kidney and liver as well as stimulated the growth of pernicious bacteria to cause toxic effects. There were no histopathological changes and apoptosis in the kidney and liver of the pair-feeding group. The combined toxicity of OTA and AFB1 had more severe effects on pullets than merely reducing feed supply. However, the proper reduction of the feed intake could improve pullets’ physical health by enriching the bacteria Lactobacillus, Phascolarctobacterium, Bacteroides, Parabacteroides, and Barnesiella.

Remodeling of Mitochondrial Plasticity: The Key Switch from NAFLD/NASH to HCC

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary malignancy of the liver and the third-leading cause of cancer-related mortality. Currently, the global burden of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has dramatically overcome both viral and alcohol hepatitis, thus becoming the main cause of HCC incidence. NAFLD pathogenesis is severely influenced by lifestyle and genetic predisposition. Mitochondria are highly dynamic organelles that may adapt in response to environment, genetics and epigenetics in the liver ("mitochondrial plasticity"). Mounting evidence highlights that mitochondrial dysfunction due to loss of mitochondrial flexibility may arise before overt NAFLD, and from the early stages of liver injury. Mitochondrial failure promotes not only hepatocellular damage, but also release signals (mito-DAMPs), which trigger inflammation and fibrosis, generating an adverse microenvironment in which several hepatocytes select anti-apoptotic programs and mutations that may allow survival and proliferation. Furthermore, one of the key events in malignant hepatocytes is represented by the remodeling of glucidic-lipidic metabolism combined with the reprogramming of mitochondrial functions, optimized to deal with energy demand. In sum, this review will discuss how mitochondrial defects may be translated into causative explanations of NAFLD-driven HCC, emphasizing future directions for research and for the development of potential preventive or curative strategies.

Targeted treatment of alcoholic liver disease based on inflammatory signalling pathways

Targeted therapy is an emerging treatment strategy for alcoholic liver disease (ALD). Inflammation plays an important role in the occurrence and development of ALD, and is a key choice for its targeted treatment, and anti-inflammatory treatment has been considered beneficial for liver disease. Surprisingly, immune checkpoint inhibitors have become important therapeutic agents for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Moreover, studies have shown that the combination of inflammatory molecule inhibitors and immune checkpoint inhibitors can exert better effects than either alone in mouse models of HCC. This review discusses the mechanism of hepatic ethanol metabolism and the conditions under which inflammation occurs. In addition, we focus on the potential molecular targets in inflammatory signalling pathways and summarize the potential targeted inhibitors and immune checkpoint inhibitors, providing a theoretical basis for the targeted treatment of ALD and the development of new combination therapy strategies for HCC.

Acute alcoholic hepatitis

Acute alcoholic hepatitis (AAH) is a frequent inflammatory liver disease with high short-term mortality rate. In this review, relationships between alcohol abuse and the epidemiology and the outcomes of AAH are discussed, as well as AAH pathogenesis. The role of endotoxins, tumor necrosis factor alpha, fibroblasts, and immune response to altered hepatocyte proteins is discussed. The need of a careful prognosis, supported by the use of Maddrey score, by the model for end-stage liver disease [Mayo end-stage liver disease (MELD)] score or by the Glasgow alcoholic hepatitis score, is outlined, as the use of the most effective drugs (glucocorticoids and anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha infliximab) is recommended only in severe AAH cases. The problems of liver transplant in severe AAH, and the need of a 6-month alcohol abstinence before transplant, are discussed, as well as the need of a careful psychologic assessment before the transplant.

Serum levels of tissue polypeptide specific antigen are correlated with hepatocyte cytokeratin expression in alcoholic liver disease

BACKGROUND

Serum levels of the tumor marker tissue polypeptide specific antigen (TPS, cytokeratin 18 fragments) are increased in patients with alcoholic liver disease, particularly in cases of alcoholic hepatitis. Mallory bodies, characteristic of alcoholic hepatitis, are cytokeratin 8 and 18 aggregates. The study was aimed at investigating the possible relationship of serum TPS levels with hepatocyte cytokeratin expression in patients with alcoholic liver disease.

METHODS

Twenty-four patients with alcoholic liver disease were studied. Immunohistochemical staining for cytokeratins 8 and 18 was performed in liver specimens by means of CAM 5.2 monoclonal antibody. The number of hepatocytes containing CAM 5.2-reactive cytokeratin inclusions was compared with serum TPS levels.

MAIN RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

The vast majority of alcoholics (95%) showed increased (>100 units/liter) serum TPS levels. Serum TPS levels were significantly correlated with the number of hepatocyte cytokeratin inclusions. Serum TPS levels can predict hepatocyte cytokeratin expression in patients with alcoholic liver disease.

INCREASED SUSCEPTIBILITY TO LIVER INJURY AFTER HEMORRHAGIC SHOCK IN RATS CHRONICALLY FED ETHANOL: ROLE OF NUCLEAR FACTOR-??B, INTERLEUKIN-6, AND GRANULOCYTE COLONY-STIMULATING FACTOR

Chronic ethanol use preceding severe trauma and hemorrhagic shock (HS) is associated with an increased incidence of multiorgan failure (MOF) and death; however, the molecular basis for this increased susceptibility is unknown. We previously demonstrated that production of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), mediated by nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappa B), each make essential contributions to organ injury and inflammation in a rodent model of controlled HS, and we proposed in this study to examine the hypothesis that the increased susceptibility to MOF after shock/trauma in the setting of chronic ethanol use is due to an exaggerated activation of NF-kappa B and production of these proinflammatory cytokines. We observed increased HS-induced liver injury 4 h after resuscitation in rats fed the ethanol-containing Lieber-DeCarli liquid diet for 8 weeks compared with rats fed the control liquid diet (3-fold increase in serum alanine aminotransferase [ALT], P = 0.008, and 2-fold increase in focal liver necrosis, P = 0.005). The increased liver injury in the ethanol-fed HS rats was accompanied by a 70% increase in liver NF-kappa B activation (P < 0.05), a 3- to 5-fold increase in hepatocyte and Kupffer cell production of IL-6 and G-CSF (P < 0.05 for each), and a 2-fold increase in neutrophil infiltration (P < 0.005) compared with the control diet-fed HS rats. Thus, increased susceptibility to HS-induced liver injury in the setting of chronic ethanol use may be mediated, at least in part, by increased NF-kappa B activation resulting in increased local production of IL-6 and G-CSF and increased infiltration of neutrophils, which can damage liver cells directly and contribute to impaired sinusoidal blood flow.

Alcoholic liver disease and apoptosis

This article represents the proceedings of a symposium at the 2000 ISBRA Meeting in Yokohama, Japan. The chairs were Carol A. Casey and Amin Nanji. The presentations were (1) Mechanisms of apoptosis in alcoholic liver disease, by Amin A. Nanji; (2) Impaired receptor-mediated endocytosis: Its role in alcoholic apoptosis, by Carol A. Casey; (3) Toxicity of ethanol in HepG2 cells that express CYP2E1, by Arthur I. Cederbaum; (4) Mitochondrial regulation of ethanol-induced hepatocyte apoptosis, by M. Adachi; and (5) Apoptosis in alcoholic hepatitis, by T. Takahashi.

Alcoholic liver disease

Research has substantiated the role of several mechanisms responsible for alcohol-induced hepatotoxicity. These mechanisms include: oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation; immunogenic processes initiated by formation of protein adducts of acetaldehyde, other aldehydes and 1-hydroxyethyl radicals; and activation of Kupffer cells by endotoxin and subsequent cascade of events that involved cytokines, chemokines, and adhesion molecules. Increasing evidence implicates enhanced intestinal permeability caused by alcohol ingestion as the culprit that leads to endotoxemia. While oxidative stress is important, the principal source of reactive oxygen species that causes alcohol-induced liver injury is hotly debated. Potential sources may include cytochrome P450IIE1, activated Kupffer cells, and mitochondrial electron transfer chain. Apoptosis is likely an important pathway that culminates in hepatocyte cell death. Abstinence, corticosteroids, and enteral nutrition remain the cornerstones in the treatment of alcoholic hepatitis. The efficacies of medications such as S-adenosylmethionine and pentoxifylline will need further confirmation by additional randomized trials before they can be recommended as standard therapies for alcoholic hepatitis.

Alcoholic liver disease and apoptosis

This article represents the proceedings of a symposium at the 2000 ISBRA Meeting in Yokohama, Japan. The chairs were Carol A. Casey and Amin Nanji. The presentations were (1) Mechanisms of apoptosis in alcoholic liver disease, by Amin A. Nanji; (2) Impaired receptor-mediated endocytosis: Its role in alcoholic apoptosis, by Carol A. Casey; (3) Toxicity of ethanol in HepG2 cells that express CYP2E1, by Arthur I. Cederbaum; (4) Mitochondrial regulation of ethanol-induced hepatocyte apoptosis, by M. Adachi; and (5) Apoptosis in alcoholic hepatitis, by T. Takahashi.