Oxidants and antioxidants in alcohol-induced liver disease.
Although there are numerous experimental data indicating that oxidative stress plays a role in the initiation and progression of alcohol-induced liver disease (ALD), this work has yet to translate into an accepted antioxidant therapy for ALD in humans. With a better understanding of the mechanisms by which oxidative stress leads to liver damage during alcohol exposure, therapies that are more targeted at the cellular/molecular level may be applied in the clinic with potentially greater success. This article discusses the general concepts of oxidative stress and how it relates to current hypotheses in alcohol-induced liver injury, as well as lists several key questions that remain to be addressed in this field: (1) Which prooxidants are involved in ALD? (2) What are the sources of prooxidants in the liver during alcohol exposure? (3) How are oxidants involved in alcohol-induced liver injury? (4) Can a rational and effective antioxidant therapy against ALD be developed?
Arteel
Gavin E
GE
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville Health Sciences Center, Louisville, Kentucky, USA. gavin.arteel@lousville.edu
D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008108:Liver Diseases, Alcoholic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016877:Oxidants / Q000378:metabolism*; D018384:Oxidative Stress
D000975:Antioxidants; D016877:Oxidants