Sun Lin, Yue Zhensheng, Wang Lin
Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Xi-Jing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Changle West Road, Xincheng District, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710032, China.
Department of Ophthalmology, Xi-Jing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Changle West Road, Xincheng District, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710032, China.
Life Med. 2024 Aug 31;3(4):lnae030. doi: 10.1093/lifemedi/lnae030. eCollection 2024 Aug.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most prevalent chronic liver condition, characterized by a spectrum that progresses from simple hepatic steatosis to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, which may eventually lead to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The precise pathogenic mechanisms underlying NAFLD and its related metabolic disturbances remain elusive. Epigenetic modifications, which entail stable transcriptional changes without altering the DNA sequence, are increasingly recognized as pivotal. The principal forms of epigenetic modifications include DNA methylation, histone modifications, chromatin remodeling, and noncoding RNAs. These alterations participate in the regulation of hepatic lipid metabolism, insulin resistance, mitochondrial injury, oxidative stress response, and release of inflammatory cytokines, all of which are associated with the onset and progression of NAFLD. This review discussed recent advances in understanding the potential epigenetic regulation of inflammation in NAFLD. Unraveling these epigenetic mechanisms may facilitate the identification of early diagnostic biomarkers and the development of targeted therapeutic strategies for NAFLD.
非酒精性脂肪性肝病（NAFLD）是最常见的慢性肝脏疾病，其特征是一个从单纯性肝脂肪变性发展到非酒精性脂肪性肝炎的谱系，最终可能导致肝硬化和肝细胞癌。NAFLD及其相关代谢紊乱的精确致病机制仍不清楚。表观遗传修饰，即导致稳定的转录变化而不改变DNA序列，越来越被认为是关键因素。表观遗传修饰的主要形式包括DNA甲基化、组蛋白修饰、染色质重塑和非编码RNA。这些改变参与肝脏脂质代谢、胰岛素抵抗、线粒体损伤、氧化应激反应和炎性细胞因子释放的调节，所有这些都与NAFLD的发生和发展有关。本文综述了在理解NAFLD炎症潜在表观遗传调控方面的最新进展。阐明这些表观遗传机制可能有助于识别早期诊断生物标志物，并为NAFLD开发靶向治疗策略。
