Journal Article

Role of Mitochondria in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Ibdah, Jamal, Nassir, Fatiha

2014

Overview

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) affects about 30% of the general population in the United States and includes a spectrum of disease that includes simple steatosis, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), fibrosis and cirrhosis. Significant insight has been gained into our understanding of the pathogenesis of NALFD; however the key metabolic aberrations underlying lipid accumulation in hepatocytes and the progression of NAFLD remain to be elucidated. Accumulating and emerging evidence indicate that hepatic mitochondria play a critical role in the development and pathogenesis of steatosis and NAFLD. Here, we review studies that document a link between the pathogenesis of NAFLD and hepatic mitochondrial dysfunction with particular focus on new insights into the role of impaired fatty acid oxidation, the transcription factor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α), and sirtuins in development and progression of NAFLD.

• Publisher: MDPI AG,Molecular Diversity Preservation International (MDPI)
• Subject: Fatty acids / Fatty Acids - chemistry / Fatty Acids - metabolism / Humans / Liver diseases / Mitochondria / Mitochondria - chemistry / Mitochondria - metabolism / Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease - metabolism / Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease - pathology / Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease - prevention & control / Oxidation / Oxidative Stress / Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma Coactivator 1-alpha / Protein expression / Review / Sirtuin 1 - metabolism / Sirtuin 3 - metabolism / Transcription Factors - metabolism