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Liver Immunology pp 309–321Cite as

The Immune Response in the Pathogenesis of Alcoholic Liver Disease

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Abstract

Many hypotheses have been put forward to explain ethanolinduced liver damage, including direct and indirect toxicity. Despite many years of intensive research, the molecular mechanisms involved in the toxicity of this simple compound have still not been fully clarified. Initial studies investigated the direct toxic effects of ethanol on tissues, but it is now believed that the products of ethanol metabolism are the major factors causing alcoholic liver disease (ALD). The metabolic products and metabolic events induced by alcohol ingestion are varied in nature and vast in scope. Major research interest has focused on the effects of aldehyde production, oxygen radical formation, mitochondrial membrane permeability defects, endotoxins, and infectious agents as factors in hepatocellular dysfunction and cell death. At the same time, increasing evidence suggests that immune-mediated mechanisms are involved in ALD.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, USA

    Lynell W. Klassen MD

  2. Medical Service Physician, Omaha VA Medical Center, Omaha, NE

    Lynell W. Klassen MD

  3. Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, USA

    Geoffrey M. Thiele PhD

  4. Research Service, Omaha VA Medical Center, Omaha, NE

    Geoffrey M. Thiele PhD

Authors
  1. Lynell W. Klassen MD
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  2. Geoffrey M. Thiele PhD
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Clinical Immunology, University of California at Davis School of Medicine, Davis, CA

    M. Eric Gershwin MD, FACP

  2. Departments of Medicine and Surgery Baylor Liver Health, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX

    John M. Vierling MD, FACP

  3. Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Endocrinology, Medical School of Hannover, Hannover, Germany

    Michael P. Manns MD

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Klassen, L.W., Thiele, G.M. (2007). The Immune Response in the Pathogenesis of Alcoholic Liver Disease. In: Gershwin, M.E., Vierling, J.M., Manns, M.P. (eds) Liver Immunology. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-518-3_25

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-518-3_25

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press

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