Role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of alcohol-induced liver disease

Abstract

Chronic alcohol consumption is a well-known risk factor for liver disease, which represents a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The pathological process of alcohol-induced liver disease is characterized by a broad spectrum of morphological changes ranging from steatosis with minimal injury to more advanced liver damage, including steato-hepatitis and fibrosis/cirrhosis. Experimental and clinical studies increasingly show that the oxidative damage induced by ethanol contribute in many ways to the pathogenesis of alcohol hepatotoxicity. This article describes the contribution of oxidative mechanisms to liver damage by alcohol.

Keywords::

• alcohol
• liver disease
• oxidative damage
• reactive oxygen species

Declaration of interest

The authors report no declarations of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

This work was supported by grants from Wallonie (Biowin). Julien Verrax is a Belgian Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique (FNRS) postdoctoral researcher.