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Alcohol and Alcoholism (Oxford,... Jul 2019Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) represents a spectrum of injury, ranging from simple steatosis to alcoholic hepatitis to cirrhosis. Regular alcohol use results in fatty... (Review)
Review
Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) represents a spectrum of injury, ranging from simple steatosis to alcoholic hepatitis to cirrhosis. Regular alcohol use results in fatty changes in the liver which can develop into inflammation, fibrosis and ultimately cirrhosis with continued, excessive drinking. Alcoholic hepatitis (AH) is an acute hepatic inflammation associated with significant morbidity and mortality that can occur in patients with steatosis or underlying cirrhosis. The pathogenesis of ALD is multifactorial and in addition to genetic factors, alcohol-induced hepatocyte damage, reactive oxygen species, gut-derived microbial components result in steatosis and inflammatory cell (macrophage and neutrophil leukocyte) recruitment and activation in the liver. Continued alcohol and pro-inflammatory cytokines induce stellate cell activation and result in progressive fibrosis. Other than cessation of alcohol use, medical therapy of AH is limited to prednisolone in a subset of patients. Given the high mortality of AH and the progressive nature of ALD, there is a major need for new therapeutic intervention for this underserved patient population.
Topics: Hepatitis, Alcoholic; Humans; Inflammation Mediators; Kupffer Cells; Reactive Oxygen Species
PubMed: 31219169
DOI: 10.1093/alcalc/agz036 -
The Lancet. Gastroenterology &... May 2020Alcoholic hepatitis is an acute, inflammatory liver disease associated with high morbidity and mortality both in the short term and long term. Alcoholic hepatitis often... (Review)
Review
Alcoholic hepatitis is an acute, inflammatory liver disease associated with high morbidity and mortality both in the short term and long term. Alcoholic hepatitis often arises in patients with a background of chronic liver disease and it is characterised by the rapid onset of jaundice and the development of myriad complications. Medical therapy for severe alcoholic hepatitis relies on corticosteroids, which have modest effectiveness. Abstinence from alcohol is critically important in patients with alcoholic hepatitis, but recidivism is high. Because of the absence of effective medical treatments for alcoholic hepatitis and alcohol dependency, there is a pressing need to develop new and effective therapeutics. Supported by promising preliminary and preclinical studies, many ongoing clinical trials of new therapies for alcoholic hepatitis are currently underway and are discussed further in this Series paper.
Topics: Adrenal Cortex Hormones; Alcohol Abstinence; Alcoholism; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Antioxidants; Dietary Supplements; Hepatitis, Alcoholic; Humans; Pentanoic Acids; Probiotics; Receptors, Interleukin-1; Signal Transduction; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha
PubMed: 32277902
DOI: 10.1016/S2468-1253(19)30326-7 -
The American Journal of Gastroenterology Feb 2018Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) comprises a clinical-histologic spectrum including fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis (AH), and cirrhosis with its complications. Most...
Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) comprises a clinical-histologic spectrum including fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis (AH), and cirrhosis with its complications. Most patients are diagnosed at advanced stages and data on the prevalence and profile of patients with early disease are limited. Diagnosis of ALD requires documentation of chronic heavy alcohol use and exclusion of other causes of liver disease. Prolonged abstinence is the most effective strategy to prevent disease progression. AH presents with rapid onset or worsening of jaundice, and in severe cases may transition to acute on chronic liver failure when the risk for mortality, depending on the number of extra-hepatic organ failures, may be as high as 20-50% at 1 month. Corticosteroids provide short-term survival benefit in about half of treated patients with severe AH and long-term mortality is related to severity of underlying liver disease and is dependent on abstinence from alcohol. General measures in patients hospitalized with ALD include inpatient management of liver disease complications, management of alcohol withdrawal syndrome, surveillance for infections and early effective antibiotic therapy, nutritional supplementation, and treatment of the underlying alcohol-use disorder. Liver transplantation, a definitive treatment option in patients with advanced alcoholic cirrhosis, may also be considered in selected patients with AH cases, who do not respond to medical therapy. There is a clinical unmet need to develop more effective and safer therapies for patients with ALD.
Topics: Alcohol Withdrawal Delirium; Alcoholism; Hepatitis, Alcoholic; Humans; Liver Diseases, Alcoholic; Liver Transplantation; Prognosis
PubMed: 29336434
DOI: 10.1038/ajg.2017.469 -
Nature Nov 2019Chronic liver disease due to alcohol-use disorder contributes markedly to the global burden of disease and mortality. Alcoholic hepatitis is a severe and...
Chronic liver disease due to alcohol-use disorder contributes markedly to the global burden of disease and mortality. Alcoholic hepatitis is a severe and life-threatening form of alcohol-associated liver disease. The gut microbiota promotes ethanol-induced liver disease in mice, but little is known about the microbial factors that are responsible for this process. Here we identify cytolysin-a two-subunit exotoxin that is secreted by Enterococcus faecalis-as a cause of hepatocyte death and liver injury. Compared with non-alcoholic individuals or patients with alcohol-use disorder, patients with alcoholic hepatitis have increased faecal numbers of E. faecalis. The presence of cytolysin-positive (cytolytic) E. faecalis correlated with the severity of liver disease and with mortality in patients with alcoholic hepatitis. Using humanized mice that were colonized with bacteria from the faeces of patients with alcoholic hepatitis, we investigated the therapeutic effects of bacteriophages that target cytolytic E. faecalis. We found that these bacteriophages decrease cytolysin in the liver and abolish ethanol-induced liver disease in humanized mice. Our findings link cytolytic E. faecalis with more severe clinical outcomes and increased mortality in patients with alcoholic hepatitis. We show that bacteriophages can specifically target cytolytic E. faecalis, which provides a method for precisely editing the intestinal microbiota. A clinical trial with a larger cohort is required to validate the relevance of our findings in humans, and to test whether this therapeutic approach is effective for patients with alcoholic hepatitis.
Topics: Alcoholism; Animals; Bacteriophages; Enterococcus faecalis; Ethanol; Fatty Liver; Feces; Female; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Germ-Free Life; Hepatitis, Alcoholic; Hepatocytes; Humans; Liver; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Perforin; Phage Therapy
PubMed: 31723265
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1742-x -
The New England Journal of Medicine Apr 2015Alcoholic hepatitis is a clinical syndrome characterized by jaundice and liver impairment that occurs in patients with a history of heavy and prolonged alcohol use. The... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
BACKGROUND
Alcoholic hepatitis is a clinical syndrome characterized by jaundice and liver impairment that occurs in patients with a history of heavy and prolonged alcohol use. The short-term mortality among patients with severe disease exceeds 30%. Prednisolone and pentoxifylline are both recommended for the treatment of severe alcoholic hepatitis, but uncertainty about their benefit persists.
METHODS
We conducted a multicenter, double-blind, randomized trial with a 2-by-2 factorial design to evaluate the effect of treatment with prednisolone or pentoxifylline. The primary end point was mortality at 28 days. Secondary end points included death or liver transplantation at 90 days and at 1 year. Patients with a clinical diagnosis of alcoholic hepatitis and severe disease were randomly assigned to one of four groups: a group that received a pentoxifylline-matched placebo and a prednisolone-matched placebo, a group that received prednisolone and a pentoxifylline-matched placebo, a group that received pentoxifylline and a prednisolone-matched placebo, or a group that received both prednisolone and pentoxifylline.
RESULTS
A total of 1103 patients underwent randomization, and data from 1053 were available for the primary end-point analysis. Mortality at 28 days was 17% (45 of 269 patients) in the placebo-placebo group, 14% (38 of 266 patients) in the prednisolone-placebo group, 19% (50 of 258 patients) in the pentoxifylline-placebo group, and 13% (35 of 260 patients) in the prednisolone-pentoxifylline group. The odds ratio for 28-day mortality with pentoxifylline was 1.07 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.77 to 1.49; P=0.69), and that with prednisolone was 0.72 (95% CI, 0.52 to 1.01; P=0.06). At 90 days and at 1 year, there were no significant between-group differences. Serious infections occurred in 13% of the patients treated with prednisolone versus 7% of those who did not receive prednisolone (P=0.002).
CONCLUSIONS
Pentoxifylline did not improve survival in patients with alcoholic hepatitis. Prednisolone was associated with a reduction in 28-day mortality that did not reach significance and with no improvement in outcomes at 90 days or 1 year. (Funded by the National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment program; STOPAH EudraCT number, 2009-013897-42 , and Current Controlled Trials number, ISRCTN88782125 ).
Topics: Adult; Analysis of Variance; Double-Blind Method; Female; Glucocorticoids; Hepatitis, Alcoholic; Humans; Infections; Kaplan-Meier Estimate; Male; Middle Aged; Pentoxifylline; Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors; Prednisolone; Treatment Failure
PubMed: 25901427
DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1412278 -
World Journal of Gastroenterology May 2023Alcohol-related hepatitis (ARH) is a unique type of alcohol-associated liver disease characterized by acute liver inflammation caused by significant alcohol use. It... (Review)
Review
Alcohol-related hepatitis (ARH) is a unique type of alcohol-associated liver disease characterized by acute liver inflammation caused by significant alcohol use. It ranges in severity from mild to severe and carries significant morbidity and mortality. The refinement of scoring systems has enhanced prognostication and guidance of clinical decision-making in the treatment of this complex disease. Although treatment focuses on supportive care, steroids have shown benefit in select circumstances. There has been a recent interest in this disease process, as coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic led to substantial rise in cases. Although much is known regarding the pathogenesis, prognosis remains grim due to limited treatment options. This article summarizes the epidemiology, genetics, pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of ARH.
Topics: Humans; COVID-19; Hepatitis, Alcoholic; Prognosis; Liver Diseases, Alcoholic; Steroids
PubMed: 37213401
DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v29.i17.2551 -
Gastroenterology Apr 2016
Topics: Clinical Trials as Topic; Consensus; Endpoint Determination; Hepatitis, Alcoholic; Humans; Research Design; Risk Factors; Severity of Illness Index; Terminology as Topic; Time Factors; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 26921783
DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2016.02.042 -
The Journal of Clinical Investigation Jul 2022Intrahepatic neutrophil infiltration has been implicated in severe alcoholic hepatitis (SAH) pathogenesis; however, the mechanism underlying neutrophil-induced injury in...
Intrahepatic neutrophil infiltration has been implicated in severe alcoholic hepatitis (SAH) pathogenesis; however, the mechanism underlying neutrophil-induced injury in SAH remains obscure. This translational study aims to describe the patterns of intrahepatic neutrophil infiltration and its involvement in SAH pathogenesis. Immunohistochemistry analyses of explanted livers identified two SAH phenotypes despite a similar clinical presentation, one with high intrahepatic neutrophils (Neuhi), but low levels of CD8+ T cells, and vice versa. RNA-Seq analyses demonstrated that neutrophil cytosolic factor 1 (NCF1), a key factor in controlling neutrophilic ROS production, was upregulated and correlated with hepatic inflammation and disease progression. To study specifically the mechanisms related to Neuhi in AH patients and liver injury, we used the mouse model of chronic-plus-binge ethanol feeding and found that myeloid-specific deletion of the Ncf1 gene abolished ethanol-induced hepatic inflammation and steatosis. RNA-Seq analysis and the data from experimental models revealed that neutrophilic NCF1-dependent ROS promoted alcoholic hepatitis (AH) by inhibiting AMP-activated protein kinase (a key regulator of lipid metabolism) and microRNA-223 (a key antiinflammatory and antifibrotic microRNA). In conclusion, two distinct histopathological phenotypes based on liver immune phenotyping are observed in SAH patients, suggesting a separate mechanism driving liver injury and/or failure in these patients.
Topics: Animals; Ethanol; Hepatitis, Alcoholic; Inflammation; Liver; Liver Diseases, Alcoholic; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Phenotype; Reactive Oxygen Species
PubMed: 35838051
DOI: 10.1172/JCI157780 -
Journal of Hepatology Mar 2020Alcohol-associated liver disease is a leading indication for liver transplantation and a leading cause of mortality. Alterations to the gut microbiota contribute to the... (Clinical Trial)
Clinical Trial
BACKGROUND & AIMS
Alcohol-associated liver disease is a leading indication for liver transplantation and a leading cause of mortality. Alterations to the gut microbiota contribute to the pathogenesis of alcohol-associated liver disease. Patients with alcohol-associated liver disease have increased proportions of Candida spp. in the fecal mycobiome, yet little is known about the effect of intestinal Candida on the disease. Herein, we evaluated the contributions of Candida albicans and its exotoxin candidalysin in alcohol-associated liver disease.
METHODS
C. albicans and the extent of cell elongation 1 (ECE1) were analyzed in fecal samples from controls, patients with alcohol use disorder and those with alcoholic hepatitis. Mice colonized with different and genetically manipulated C. albicans strains were subjected to the chronic-plus-binge ethanol diet model. Primary hepatocytes were isolated and incubated with candidalysin.
RESULTS
The percentages of individuals carrying ECE1 were 0%, 4.76% and 30.77% in non-alcoholic controls, patients with alcohol use disorder and patients with alcoholic hepatitis, respectively. Candidalysin exacerbates ethanol-induced liver disease and is associated with increased mortality in mice. Candidalysin enhances ethanol-induced liver disease independently of the β-glucan receptor C-type lectin domain family 7 member A (CLEC7A) on bone marrow-derived cells, and candidalysin does not alter gut barrier function. Candidalysin can damage primary hepatocytes in a dose-dependent manner in vitro and is associated with liver disease severity and mortality in patients with alcoholic hepatitis.
CONCLUSIONS
Candidalysin is associated with the progression of ethanol-induced liver disease in preclinical models and worse clinical outcomes in patients with alcoholic hepatitis.
LAY SUMMARY
Candidalysin is a peptide toxin secreted by the commensal gut fungus Candida albicans. Candidalysin enhances alcohol-associated liver disease independently of the β-glucan receptor CLEC7A on bone marrow-derived cells in mice without affecting intestinal permeability. Candidalysin is cytotoxic to primary hepatocytes, indicating a direct role of candidalysin on ethanol-induced liver disease. Candidalysin might be an effective target for therapy in patients with alcohol-associated liver disease.
Topics: Adult; Aged; Animals; Candida albicans; Case-Control Studies; Cells, Cultured; Disease Models, Animal; Exotoxins; Feces; Female; Fungal Proteins; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Hepatitis, Alcoholic; Hepatocytes; Humans; Lectins, C-Type; Liver Diseases, Alcoholic; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Knockout; Middle Aged; Severity of Illness Index
PubMed: 31606552
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2019.09.029 -
Journal of Hepatology May 2021Acute decompensation (AD) of cirrhosis may present without acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) (AD-No ACLF), or with ACLF (AD-ACLF), defined by organ failure(s).... (Observational Study)
Observational Study
BACKGROUND & AIMS
Acute decompensation (AD) of cirrhosis may present without acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) (AD-No ACLF), or with ACLF (AD-ACLF), defined by organ failure(s). Herein, we aimed to analyze and characterize the precipitants leading to both of these AD phenotypes.
METHODS
The multicenter, prospective, observational PREDICT study (NCT03056612) included 1,273 non-electively hospitalized patients with AD (No ACLF = 1,071; ACLF = 202). Medical history, clinical data and laboratory data were collected at enrolment and during 90-day follow-up, with particular attention given to the following characteristics of precipitants: induction of organ dysfunction or failure, systemic inflammation, chronology, intensity, and relationship to outcome.
RESULTS
Among various clinical events, 4 distinct events were precipitants consistently related to AD: proven bacterial infections, severe alcoholic hepatitis, gastrointestinal bleeding with shock and toxic encephalopathy. Among patients with precipitants in the AD-No ACLF cohort and the AD-ACLF cohort (38% and 71%, respectively), almost all (96% and 97%, respectively) showed proven bacterial infection and severe alcoholic hepatitis, either alone or in combination with other events. Survival was similar in patients with proven bacterial infections or severe alcoholic hepatitis in both AD phenotypes. The number of precipitants was associated with significantly increased 90-day mortality and was paralleled by increasing levels of surrogates for systemic inflammation. Importantly, adequate first-line antibiotic treatment of proven bacterial infections was associated with a lower ACLF development rate and lower 90-day mortality.
CONCLUSIONS
This study identified precipitants that are significantly associated with a distinct clinical course and prognosis in patients with AD. Specific preventive and therapeutic strategies targeting these events may improve outcomes in patients with decompensated cirrhosis.
LAY SUMMARY
Acute decompensation (AD) of cirrhosis is characterized by a rapid deterioration in patient health. Herein, we aimed to analyze the precipitating events that cause AD in patients with cirrhosis. Proven bacterial infections and severe alcoholic hepatitis, either alone or in combination, accounted for almost all (96-97%) cases of AD and acute-on-chronic liver failure. Whilst the type of precipitant was not associated with mortality, the number of precipitant(s) was. This study identified precipitants that are significantly associated with a distinct clinical course and prognosis of patients with AD. Specific preventive and therapeutic strategies targeting these events may improve patient outcomes.
Topics: Acute-On-Chronic Liver Failure; Bacterial Infections; Disease Progression; Europe; Female; Hepatitis, Alcoholic; Humans; Inflammation; Liver Cirrhosis; Male; Medical History Taking; Middle Aged; Needs Assessment; Organ Dysfunction Scores; Precipitating Factors; Preventive Health Services; Prognosis
PubMed: 33227350
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2020.11.019