Complements are involved in alcoholic fatty liver disease, hepatitis and fibrosis

World J Hepatol. 2018 Oct 27;10(10):662-669. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v10.i10.662.

Abstract

The complement system is a key component of the body's immune system. When abnormally activated, this system can induce inflammation and damage to normal tissues and participate in the development and progression of a variety of diseases. In the past, many scholars believed that alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is induced by the stress of ethanol on liver cells, including oxidative stress and dysfunction of mitochondria and protease bodies, causing hepatocyte injury and apoptosis. Recent studies have shown that complement activation is also involved in the genesis and development of ALD. This review focuses on the roles of complement activation in ALD and of therapeutic intervention in complement-activation pathways. We intend to provide new ideas on the diagnosis and treatment of ALD.

Keywords: Alcoholic liver disease; Complement regulator; Complement system proteins; Hepatocyte injury; Liver cells.

Publication types

  • Review