title: New drug targets for alcoholic liver disease.
abstract: Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) represents a spectrum of disorders, ranging from simple steatosis to severe alcoholic hepatitis and cirrhosis. The severe form of ALD comprises multiple problems in the liver, including inflammation, hepatocellular damage, fibrosis, and impaired liver regeneration, and likely requires combinational therapies. In this review, we discuss recently identified therapeutic targets that inhibit inflammation, ameliorate hepatocyte death, and promote liver repair in ALD, with a focus on our recent studies on the immunosuppressive drug prednisolone and the hepatoprotective cytokine interleukin-22. Clinical trials examining prednisolone plus interleukin-22 therapy for severe alcoholic hepatitis are currently under consideration.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Liver Diseases, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health (NIAAA/NIH), 5625 Fishers Lane, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Mingjiang
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Liver Diseases, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health (NIAAA/NIH), 5625 Fishers Lane, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Binxia
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Liver Diseases, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health (NIAAA/NIH), 5625 Fishers Lane, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mathews
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Liver Diseases, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health (NIAAA/NIH), 5625 Fishers Lane, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA. bgao@mail.nih.gov.
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gao
keywords: Ethanol; Inflammation; Interleukin-22; Liver; Prednisolone