The Role of Gut Bacteria and Fungi in Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease

Frontiers in Medicine

article

Liuying Chen¹  Yixin Zhu²  Xiaohua Hou¹  Ling Yang¹  Huikuan Chu¹ 

[1] Division of Gastroenterology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology;Department of Medicine, University of California

关键词: gut dysbiosis;    fungi;    alcohol-associated liver disease;    gut-liver axis;    intestinal barrier;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fmed.2022.840752

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Cirrhosis and liver cancer caused by alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) are serious threats to people's health. In addition to hepatic cell apoptosis and liver inflammation caused by oxidative stress during alcohol metabolism, intestinal microbiota disorders are also involved in the onset and development of ALD. Ethanol and its' oxidative and non-oxidative metabolites, together with dysbiosis-caused-inflammation, destroys the intestinal barrier. Changes of several microbial metabolites, such as bile acids, short-chain fatty acids, and amino acid, are closely associated with gut dysbiosis in ALD. The alcohol-caused dysbiosis can further influence intestinal barrier-related proteins, such as mucin2, bile acid-related receptors, and aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), and these abnormal changes also participate in the injury of the intestinal barrier and hepatic steatosis. Gut-derived bacteria, fungi, and their toxins, such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and β-glucan translocate into the liver through the damaged intestinal barrier and promote the progression of inflammation and fibrosis of ALD. Thus, the prevention of alcohol-induced disruption of intestinal permeability has a beneficial effect on ALD. Currently, multiple therapeutic treatments have been applied to restore the gut microbiota of patients with ALD. Fecal microbial transplantation, probiotics, antibiotics, and many other elements has already shown their ability of restoring the gut microbiota. Targeted approaches, such as using bacteriophages to remove cytolytic Enterococcus faecalis , and supplement with Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium , or boulardii are also powerful therapeutic options for ALD.

【 授权许可】

CC BY