Week 3 Flashcards
What factors are important in determining the risk of alcoholic liver disease?
Amount
Type
Frequency
What are the main pathological features of hepatitis?
Liver cell necrosis
Inflammation
Mallory bodies
Fatty changes
What are the main pathological features of cirrhosis?
Fibrosis
Hyperplastic nodules
What are the main pathological features of liver steatosis?
Fatty changes
Perivenular fibrosis
What is the likelihood of heavy alcohol abusers developing hepatitis, cirrhosis and steatosis?
Hepatitis - 10-35%
Cirrhosis - 8-20%
Steatosis - 90-100%
What is the preferred route of alcohol metabolism in the liver?
Cytosolic pathway
Outline the cytosolic pathway of alcohol metabolism in the liver
Alcohol is oxidised by alcohol dehydrogenase to acetaldehyde which enters mitochondria and is oxidised by acetaldehyde dehydrogenase to acetate
What 3 pathways are involved in alcohol metabolism in the liver?
Microsomal ethanol oxidising system (MEOS)
Cytosolic
Peroxisomal
What enzyme is key in the MEOS pathway?
CYP2E1 (cytochrome P450 family)
What is the product of the MEOS pathway?
Reactive oxygen species
What enzyme is key in the peroxisomal pathway?
Catalase
What is the product of the peroxisomal pathway?
Reactive oxygen species
What is the difference between metabolism of acute and chronic alcohol consumption?
Acute - cytosolic pathway predominates
Chronic - cytosolic pathway flooded; MEOS and peroxisomal pathways used which produce ROS
How is the catalase enzyme affected by fasting alcohol intake?
More active
What is the consequence of too much acetaldehyde?
Immunogenic - binds to surface membrane proteins and labels them as foreign so they become attacked by immune system which causes collagen production by stellate cell activation
What are stellate cells?
Collagen fibre producing cells
What is the consequence of too much acetate?
Increased acetyl-CoA promotes inflammation by histone acetylation
What is the consequence of increased NADH/NAD ratio?
Increased fatty acid synthesis
Decreased fatty acid production
Overall promotion of steatosis
What is the consequence of non-oxidative metabolism of alcohol?
Fatty acid ethyl ester production which promotes steatosis
What is the consequence of production of hydrogen peroxide and superoxide in the liver?
Activate redox-sensitive transcription factors (e.g. NF-κB) → increased TNF-α production → promotion of lipid peroxidation → inflammation and damage to mitochondrial membranes → apoptosis
What is the role of TNF-α production in alcoholic liver disease?
Promotes apoptosis and necrosis
Activates stellate cells to produce collagen leading to fibrosis
Increases intestinal permeability
What is the consequence of increased intestinal permeability in alcoholic liver disease?
Portal circulation endotoxaemia
Explain how portal circulation endotoxaemia leads to Kupffer cell activation in alcoholic hepatitis
Translocation of gut bacteria and products (e.g. endotoxin) into portal venous system → blood from intestine towards the liver → liver exposed to chronic low grade infection/endotoxaemia → activation of Kupffer cells → promotion of liver injury by release of TNF-α
What are Kupffer cells?
Specialised stellate macrophages in the liver which line the walls of sinusoids