Non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases: from role of gut microbiota to microbial-based therapies

Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 2020 Apr;39(4):613-627. doi: 10.1007/s10096-019-03746-1. Epub 2019 Dec 11.

Abstract

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the well-known disease of the liver in adults and children throughout the world. The main manifestations related to NAFLD are an unusual storage of lipid in hepatocytes (hepatic steatosis) and progression of inflammation for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). NAFLD is described as a multifactorial complication due to the genetic predisposition, metabolic functions, inflammatory, gut microbiota (GM), and environmental factors. The GM dysregulation among these factors is correlated to NAFLD development. In recent decades, advanced microbial profiling methods are continuing to shed light on the nature of the changes in the GM caused by NASH and NAFLD. In the current review, we aim to perform a literature review in different library databases and electronic searches (Science Direct, PubMed, and Google Scholar) which were randomly obtained. This will be done in order to provide an overview of the relation between GM and NAFLD, and the role of prebiotics, probiotics, and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), as potential therapeutic challenges for NAFLD.

Keywords: Microbiome; Microbiota; Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; Prebiotics; Probiotics.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Disease Progression
  • Dysbiosis / complications
  • Dysbiosis / microbiology
  • Fecal Microbiota Transplantation
  • Gastrointestinal Microbiome*
  • Humans
  • Inflammation
  • Mice
  • Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / microbiology
  • Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / therapy*
  • Prebiotics
  • Probiotics / therapeutic use

Substances

  • Prebiotics