title: Role of NKT Cells in the Pathogenesis of NAFLD.
abstract: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most frequent chronic liver disease and shows various inflammatory changes in the liver. Among those inflammatory cells, natural killer T (NKT) cells are found to have a critical role during the disease progression. NKT cells may have a protective role at the early stage with simple steatosis through modification of insulin resistance, whereas they act as a progression factor at the advanced stage with fibrosis. Those processes are thought to depend on interaction between NKT cells and CD1d molecule in the liver.
authors.affiliation: The Third Department of Internal Medicine, Toyama University Hospital, Toyama, Toyama 930-0194, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuto
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tajiri
authors.forename: Yukihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shimizu