Effect of chronic ethanol exposure on the liver of Clock-mutant mice.

ABSTRACT: In humans, chronic ethanol consumption leads to a characteristic set of changes to the metabolism of lipids in the liver that is referred to as an "alcoholic fatty liver (AFL)". In severe cases, these metabolic changes result in the enlargement and fibrillization of the liver and are considered risk factors for cirrhosis and liver cancer. Clock-mutant mice have been shown to display abnormal lipid metabolism and alcohol preferences. To further understand the potential interactions between ethanol consumption, lipid metabolism, and the circadian clock, we investigated the effect of chronic ethanol intake on the lipid metabolism of Clock-mutant mice. We found that ethanol treatment produced a number of changes in the liver of Clock-mutant mice without impacting the wild-type controls. First,

SUBMITTER: Kudo T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2671492 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature