Role of ethanol in the regulation of hepatic stellate cell Function

Hepatic cirrhosis resulting from alcohol abuse is one of the principal causes of liver-related morbidity and mortality. In the liver, excess ethanol leads to three pathologically distinct disorders, namely fatty liver (alcohol-associated hepatic steatosis), alcoholic hepatitis and cirrhosis. Alcohol-associated hepatic steatosis is the most common form of liver injury and is reversible with abstinence More serious forms of alcoholic liver disease (ALD) include alcoholic hepatitis characterized by persistent inflammation of the liver, and cirrhosis, characterized by progressive hepatic fibrosis. The pathogenesis of ALD is poorly understood, in part because no simple animal model exists that reproduces the full spectrum of the human disease, including the development of cirrhosis In addition, there is considerable variation among individuals in their susceptibility to ALD, so that among people drinking similar amounts, only a proportion develops cirrhosis