Cytokines in Alcoholic and Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis

Cytokines are pleiotropic regulatory peptides that can be produced by virtually every nucleated cell in the body, including most types of liver cells.1,2 The cytokine family consists of several subfamilies: the interleukins, the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) family, interleukin-6 and related cytokines, interferons, chemokines such as interleukin-8, transforming growth factor β, colony-stimulating factors, and others.In most tissues, including the liver, constitutive production of cytokines is absent or minimal. However, as physiologic and pathologic stimuli activate cells, the production of these autocrine, paracrine, and endocrine effector molecules increases, and they, in turn, orchestrate the tissue's response to the stimulus. . . .