• 사상체질의학회지
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• 제31권2호
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• pp.22-30
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• 2019

Objectives The aim of this study is to investigate the related factors of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Methods The subjects were 187 persons diagnosed as fatty liver by abdominal ultrasonography. They were divided into three groups according to the severity of fatty liver: control, mild, moderate or severe. The three groups' general characteristics, laboratory results, liver function indexes, metabolic syndrome indexes, tumor markers, heart rate variability values and Sasang constitution distribution were compared and analyzed. Results Male ratio, height, weight, body mass index, red blood cell count, hemoglobin level and creatinine level were higher in NAFLD groups than in control group. The levels of sodium and amylase were higher in control than in NAFLD. In liver function, the levels of aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase and gamma-glutamyl transpepsidase of NAFLD were higher. In metabolic syndrome index, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, waist circumference, total cholesterol, triglyceride and low density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were higher in NAFLD, while high density lipoprotein cholesterol level was higher in control. The alpha-feto protein level was higher in NAFLD, and the heart rate variability was not different between NAFLD and control groups. In Sasang constitution, Taeeumin ratio of NAFLD was higher than of control. Conclusions The results suggest that nonalcoholic fatty liver is clinically related to liver dysfunction, metabolic syndrome, tumor markers, and Sasang constitution. Further studies are needed to control nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and prevent severe disease such as cirrhosis and cancer caused by fatty liver.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제48권2호
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• pp.122-128
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• 2024

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a chronic liver disease characterized by hepatic fat accumulation, while nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is an advanced form of NAFLD characterized by hepatic inflammation, fibrosis, and liver injury, resulting in liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Given the evidence that ginseng and its major bioactive components, ginsenosides, have potent anti-adipogenic, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative, and anti-fibrogenic effects, the pharmacological effect of ginseng and ginsenosides on NAFLD and NASH is noteworthy. Furthermore, numerous studies have successfully demonstrated the protective effect of ginseng on these diseases, as well as the underlying mechanisms in animal disease models and cells, such as hepatocytes and macrophages. This review discusses recent studies that explore the pharmacological roles of ginseng and ginsenosides in NAFLD and NASH and highlights their potential as agents to prevent and treat NAFLD, NASH, and liver diseases caused by hepatic steatosis and inflammation.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• 제15권2호
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• pp.43-53
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• 2013

Purpose: This study was intended to analyze the types and measurement parameters of non-pharmacological interventional studies for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Methods: NAFLD related literatures were systematically reviewed. The existing literatures were searched electronically using the data base of PubMed, a Medline data base of the National Library of Medicine with the key words of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, NAFLD, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, and NASH. The criteria for inclusion in this review were 1) non-pharmacological intervention, 2) human, 3) English. Finally, 20 articles were included in the review. Results: The major findings of this study were as follows: 1) the types of non-pharmacological intervention were exercise (35%), caloric restriction (30%), and lifestyle modification with combination both of exercise and caloric restriction (35%), 2) Almost all studies adopted various measurement parameters derived from pathophysiological mechanism-based biomarkers such as anthropometric indices, biochemical parameters, body fat mass, and liver biopsy results. Conclusion: Non-pharmacological interventions have been reported to be effective to improve NAFLD status, and many objective biomarkers confirmed supported these findings. Therefore, the development of nursing interventions for NAFLD subjects is needed and the consideration of using mechanism-based biomarkers is suggested to verify nursing outcomes objectively.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제56권2호
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• pp.45-51
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• 2013

Because nonalcoholic steatohepatitis can progress towards cirrhosis even in children, early detection of hepatic fibrosis and accurate diagnosis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are important. Although liver biopsy is regarded as the gold standard of diagnosis, its clinical application is somewhat limited in children due to its invasiveness. Noninvasive diagnostic methods, including imaging studies, biomarkers of inflammation, oxidative stress, hepatic apoptosis, hepatic fibrosis, and noninvasive hepatic fibrosis scores have recently been developed for diagnosing the spectrum of NAFLD, particularly the severity of hepatic fibrosis. Although data and validation are still lacking for these noninvasive modalities in the pediatric population, these methods may be applicable for pediatric NAFLD. Therefore, noninvasive imaging studies, biomarkers, and hepatic fibrosis scoring systems may be useful in the detection of hepatic steatosis and the prediction of hepatic fibrosis, even in children with NAFLD.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• 제22권6호
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• pp.501-510
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• 2019

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of chronic liver disease in children. The global prevalence of pediatric NAFLD from general populations is 7.6%. In obese children, the prevalence is higher in Asia. NAFLD has a strong heritable component based on ethnic difference in the prevalence and clustering within families. Genetic polymorphisms of patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing protein 3 (PNPLA3), transmembrane 6 superfamily member 2, and glucokinase regulatory protein (GCKR) are associated with the risk of NAFLD in children. Variants of PNPLA3 and GCKR are more common in Asians. Alterations of the gut microbiome might contribute to the pathogenesis of NAFLD. High fructose intake increases the risk of NAFLD. Liver fibrosis is a poor prognostic factor for disease progression to cirrhosis. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy and magnetic resonance proton density fat fraction are more accurate for steatosis quantification than ultrasound. Noninvasive imaging methods to assess liver fibrosis, such as transient elastography, shear-wave elastography, and magnetic resonance elastography are useful in predicting advanced fibrosis, but they need further validation. Longitudinal follow-up studies into adulthood are needed to better understand the natural history of pediatric NAFLD.

• Laboraroty Animal Research
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• 제34권4호
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• pp.133-139
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• 2018

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is becoming common chronic liver disease because of the increasing global prevalence of obesity and consequently Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, the mechanism for progression of NAFLD to NASH and then cirrhosis is not completely understood, yet. The triggering of these hepatic diseases is thought from hepatocyte injury caused by over-accumulated lipid toxicity. Injured hepatocytes release damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), which can stimulate the Kupffer cells (KCs), liver-resident macrophages, to release pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, and recruit monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs). The increased activation of KCs and recruitment of MDMs accelerate the progression of NAFLD to NASH and cirrhosis. Therefore, characterization for activation of hepatic macrophages, both KCs and MDMs, is a baseline to figure out the progression of hepatic diseases. The purpose of this review is to discuss the current understanding of mechanisms of NAFLD and NASH, mainly focusing on characterization and function of hepatic macrophages and suggests the regulators of hepatic macrophages as the therapeutic target in hepatic diseases.

• 한국콘텐츠학회논문지
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• 제9권6호
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• pp.237-246
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• 2009

최근 성인 남성에서 비만 인구가 늘어나며, 심혈관질환을 야기하는 대사증후군 유병률이 증가하고 있고, 증상이 없지만 지방간으로 진단되는 환자가 늘고 있다. 본 연구는 알코올성 또는 비알코올성 지방간 질환과 대사증후군과의 관련성이 있는지 알아보고자 하였다. 799명의 남성을 대상으로 평소 음주량을 조사하였고, 초음파 검사를 통해 지방간 유무를 확인 한 결과 297명은 정상군이었고, 206명은 알코올성 지방간, 296명은 비알코올성 지방간이었다. IDF(international diabetes federation) 기준을 적용한 대사증후군과 구성요소들을 독립변수로, AFLD(alcoholic fatty liver disease) 및 NAFLD(nonalcoholic fatty liver disease)을 종속변수로 하여 로지스틱 회귀분석을 실시하였다. 정상군과 AFLD 또는 NAFLD에서 대사증후군의 분포는 각각 7.4%, 48.8%, 34.9%이었고, 대사증후군 구성요소 중 고혈압, 고혈당, 고중성지방, 비만은 AFLD 또는 NAFLD의 위험인자였고, AFLD에선 고중성지방과 복부비만이, NAFLD에서는 복부비만이 영향력이 가장 큰 것으로 나타났다. 또한 AFLD군의 경우 대사증후군과 비만, 저HDL-콜레스테롤의 이상범위에서 지방간 중증의 교차비가 높았고, NAFLD군에서는 대사증후군과 고중성지방군의 이상범위에서 지방간 중증의 교차비가 높았다. 결론적으로 AFLD 및 NAFLD는 대사증후군 구성요소 각각의 기준과 밀접한 관련성이 있었고, 지방간 관리를 위해 꾸준하고 포괄적인 접근이 필요하다.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• 제21권4호
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• pp.45.1-45.11
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• 2023

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common type of chronic liver disease, with severity levels ranging from nonalcoholic fatty liver to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The extent of liver fibrosis indicates the severity of NASH and the risk of liver cancer. However, the mechanism underlying NASH development, which is important for early screening and intervention, remains unclear. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) is a useful method for identifying hub genes and screening specific targets for diseases. In this study, we utilized an mRNA dataset of the liver tissues of patients with NASH and conducted WGCNA for various stages of liver fibrosis. Subsequently, we employed two additional mRNA datasets for validation purposes. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was conducted to analyze gene function enrichment. Through WGCNA and subsequent analyses, complemented by validation using two additional datasets, we identified five genes (BICC1, C7, EFEMP1, LUM, and STMN2) as hub genes. GSEA analysis indicated that gene sets associated with liver metabolism and cholesterol homeostasis were uniformly downregulated. BICC1, C7, EFEMP1, LUM, and STMN2 were identified as hub genes of NASH, and were all related to liver metabolism, NAFLD, NASH, and related diseases. These hub genes might serve as potential targets for the early screening and treatment of NASH.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제45권5호
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• pp.343-352
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• 2022

The advent of the assay for transposase-accessible chromatin using sequencing (ATAC-seq) has shown great potential as a leading method for analyzing the genome-wide profiling of chromatin accessibility. A comprehensive reference to the ATAC-seq dataset for disease progression is important for understanding the regulatory specificity caused by genetic or epigenetic changes. In this study, we present a genome-wide chromatin accessibility profile of 44 liver samples spanning the full histological spectrum of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We analyzed the ATAC-seq signal enrichment, fragment size distribution, and correlation coefficients according to the histological severity of NAFLD (healthy control vs steatosis vs fibrotic nonalcoholic steatohepatitis), demonstrating the high quality of the dataset. Consequently, 112,303 merged regions (genomic regions containing one or multiple overlapping peak regions) were identified. Additionally, we found differentially accessible regions (DARs) and performed transcription factor binding motif enrichment analysis and de novo motif analysis to determine new biomarker candidates. These data revealed the gene-regulatory interactions and noncoding factors that can affect NAFLD progression. In summary, our study provides a valuable resource for the human epigenome by applying an advanced approach to facilitate diagnosis and treatment by understanding the non-coding genome of NAFLD.

• 대한한방내과학회지
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• 제35권2호
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• pp.184-194
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• 2014

Objectives : This study was designed to investigate the effect on lipoapoptosis of Alisma orientale extract against free fatty acid-induced cellular injury. Methods : HepG2 cells were used in an vitro model. HepG2 cells were treated with free fatty acids to generate a cellular model of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Using this cellular model, the anti-apoptotic effect and reducing steatosis of Alisma orientale extract against free fatty acid-induced cellular injury was evaluated by measuring steatosis and apoptosis. Results : Alisma orientale extract significantly attenuated free fatty acid-induced intracellular steatosis. Alisma orientale extract inhibited free fatty acid-mediated activation of pJNK, PUMA, BAX, caspase-3, and -9, and apoptotic kinases that are correlated with NAFLD. Alisma orientale extract also promoted Bcl-2, a anti-apoptotic protein. Conclusions : From the above, the Alisma orientale extract decreased the hepatocyte steatosis and showed the hepatocelluar protective effect by the regulation of apoptosis-related protein. It proposes the possibility of Alisma orientale extract to the treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in clinics.