A newly discovered genetic link to non-alcoholic inflammatory liver disease

[Joachim]

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the accumulation of fat in the liver unrelated to alcohol abuse or other liver diseases. It is often associated with obesity and diabetes and is considered a manifestation of metabolic syndrome. It progresses into non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) with the onset of inflammation, although it is currently unclear how this occurs. NASH can lead to severe complications such as liver failure, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. Now, a team led by the University of Tsukuba has found that albino mice with a point mutation in the tyrosinase gene are more susceptible to NASH than mice carrying the non-mutated gene.

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