Hepatic Deficiency of Augmenter of Liver Regeneration Exacerbates Alcohol-Induced Liver Injury and Promotes Fibrosis in Mice.

ABSTRACT: Why only a subpopulation (about 15%) of humans develops liver cirrhosis due to alcohol is a critical as yet unanswered question. Liver-specific depletion of augmenter of liver regeneration (ALR) protein in mice causes robust steatosis and hepatocyte apoptosis by 2 weeks; these pathologies regress subsequently with return of ALR expression even at lower than control levels, but the mice develop modest steatohepatitis by 8 weeks. We aimed to investigate whether chronic alcohol ingestion promotes excessive hepatic fibrosis in these ALR-deficient mice. Liver-specific ALR-deficient and wild type (WT) female mice (8-10 weeks old) were placed on 4% alcohol-supplemented or isocaloric diet for 4 weeks. Liver sections were examined for histopathology, and parameters of steatosis and fibrosis were qu

SUBMITTER: Kumar S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4726524 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature