Research Article Details
Article ID: | A17245 |
PMID: | 27891128 |
Source: | Front Immunol |
Title: | Immune Imbalances in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: From General Biomarkers and Neutrophils to Interleukin-17 Axis Activation and New Therapeutic Targets. |
Abstract: | Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an increasing problem worldwide and is associated with negative outcomes such as cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, insulin resistance, diabetes, and cardiovascular events. Current evidence shows that the immune response has an important participation driving the initiation, maintenance, and progression of the disease. So, various immune imbalances, from cellular to cytokines levels, have been studied, either for better compression of the disease pathophysiology or as biomarkers for severity assessment and outcome prediction. In this article, we performed a thorough review of studies that evaluated the role of inflammatory/immune imbalances in the NAFLD. At the cellular level, we gave special focus on the imbalance between neutrophils and lymphocytes counts (the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio), and that which occurs between T helper 17 (Th17) and regulatory T cells as emerging biomarkers. By extension, we reviewed the reflection of these imbalances at the molecular level through pro-inflammatory cytokines including those involved in Th17 differentiation (IL-6, IL-21, IL-23, and transforming growth factor-beta), and those released by Th17 cells (IL-17A, IL-17F, IL-21, and IL-22). We gave particular attention to the role of IL-17, either produced by Th17 cells or neutrophils, in fibrogenesis and steatohepatitis. Finally, we reviewed the potential of these pathways as new therapeutic targets in NAFLD. |
DOI: | 10.3389/fimmu.2016.00490 |

Strategy ID | Therapy Strategy | Synonyms | Therapy Targets | Therapy Drugs | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
S01 | Improve insulin resistance | insulin sensitizer; insulin resistance; glucose tolerance | Biguanide: increases 5-AMP activated protein kinase signaling; SGLT-2 inhibitor; Thiazalidinedione: selective PPAR-γ agonists; GLP-1 agonist | Metformin; Empagliflozin; Canagliflozin; Rosiglitazone; Pioglitazone; Liraglutide | Details |
S05 | Anti-inflammatory | inflammatory | Bile acid; TNF-a inhibitor; Dual PPAR-α and -δ agonists; Toll-Like Receptor; (TLR)-4 antagonist; Caspase inhibitor; ASK-1 inhibitor | Ursodeoxycholic Acid; Pentoxifylline; Elafibranor; JKB-121; Emricasan; Selonsertib; | Details |
Target ID | Target Name | GENE | Action | Class | UniProtKB ID | Entry Name |
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Diseases ID | DO ID | Disease Name | Definition | Class | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
I05 | 9352 | Type 2 diabetes mellitus | A diabetes that is characterized by chronic hyperglycaemia with disturbances of carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism resulting from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action, or both. A diabetes mellitus that is characterized by high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and relative lack of insulin. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diabetes, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diabetes_mellitus_type_2 | disease of metabolism/inherited metabolic disorder/ carbohydrate metabolic disorder/glucose metabolism disease/diabetes/ diabetes mellitus | Details |