Oxidative stress: New insights on the association of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and atherosclerosis

Abstract

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) represents the most common and emerging chronic liver disease worldwide. It includes a wide spectrum of liver diseases ranging from simple fatty liver to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which may progress to fibrosis and more severe liver complications such as cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma and liver mortality. NAFLD is strongly associated with obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension, and dyslipidaemia, and is now regarded as the liver manifestation of the metabolic syndrome. The increased mortality of patients with NAFLD is primarily a result of cardiovascular disease and, to a lesser extent, to liver related diseases. Increased oxidative stress has been reported in both patients with NAFLD and patient with cardiovascular risk factors. Thus, oxidative stress represents a shared pathophysiological disorder between the two conditions. Several therapeutic strategies targeting oxidative stress reduction in patients with NAFLD have been proposed, with conflicting results. In particular, vitamin E supplementation has been suggested for the treatment of non-diabetic, non-cirrhotic adults with active NASH, although this recommendation is based only on the results of a single randomized controlled trial. Other antioxidant treatments suggested are resveratrol, silybin, L-carnitine and pentoxiphylline. No trial so far, has evaluated the cardiovascular effects of antioxidant treatment in patients with NAFLD. New, large-scale studies including as end-point also the assessment of the atherosclerosis markers are needed.

Serum SH3BP5-specific Antibody Level is a Biomarker of Atherosclerosis

“…SH3BP5 is necessary for JNK-mediated induction of lipotoxicity and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) [39], both of which are thought to closely correlate with atherosclerosis, as suggested by the involvement of common mediators such as macrophages, nuclear factor (erythroidderived 2)-like 2, and oxidative stress [40][41][42]. Notably, the detected BTK-binding region of SH3BP5 was located within amino acids 163-193 [37], which overlaps with bSH3BP5-161, a peptide of SH3BP5 consisting of amino acids 161-174.…”

A Khorasan Wheat-Based Replacement Diet Improves Risk Profile of Patients With Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD): A Randomized Clinical Trial

“…Interestingly, total polyphenol content and antiradical activity in ancient khorasan were not quantitatively different from those of the control modern wheat, even if previous studies reported only slight but significantly higher levels of total polyphenol secondary metabolites, only when compared to control modern soft wheat. Nonetheless, given that the generation of ROS can induce lipid peroxidation leading to inflammation, as well as hepatic insulin resistance, and is involved in all stages of atherosclerotic plaque formation (16), the significant decrease in ROS-derived blood cells is similarly a repeatable characteristic of ancient khorasan wheat. The liver function enzymes ALT, AST, and ALP, an indirect measure of inflammation, decreased significantly only after consumption of the ancient khorasan products.…”

“…Overall, a 10% improvement was evident in the khorasan group and a 5% improvement in the control group, with no significant differences between groups. Discussion NAFLD, considered the hepatic manifestation of the metabolic syndrome, is an emerging liver disease warranting extensive research (16). Clinical dietary trials on patients with NAFLD are scarce (2), and to the best of our knowledge, no trials have yet been performed assessing the efficacy of cereals on NAFLD patients.…”

Chronic stress and body composition disorders: implications for health and disease

“…NAFLD represents a wide spectrum of diseases, ranging from simple steatosis to steatosis with inflammation to cirrhosis. Although simple hepatic steatosis is a slowly developing asymptomatic disease, the next stage, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), is more likely to cause progressive cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, resulting in increased mortality [69]. It seems that chronic stress is directly linked to NAFLD and chronic inflammation in visceral fat [70].…”