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The development of alcoholic liver disease (ALD) can be attributed to many factors that cause damage to the liver and alter its functions. Data collected over the last 30 years strongly suggests that an immune component may be involved in the onset of this disease. This is best evidenced by the detection of circulating autoantibodies, infiltration of immune cells in the liver, and the detection of hepatic aldehyde modified proteins in patients with ALD. Experimentally, there are numerous immune responses that occur when proteins are modified with the metabolites of ethanol. These products are formed in response to the high oxidative state of the liver during ethanol metabolism, causing the release of many inflammatory processes and potential of necrosis or apoptosis of liver cells. Should cellular proteins become modified with these reactive alcohol metabolites and be recognized by the immune system, then immune responses may be initiated. Therefore, it was the purpose of this article to shed some insight into how the immune system is involved in the development and/or progression of ALD.

Alcohol and Alcoholism 2006 41(3):209-224

“Chronic alcohol consumption is a major cause of liver cirrhosis which, however, develops in only a minority of heavy drinkers. Evidence from twin studies indicates that genetic factors account for at least 50% of individual susceptibility. The contribution of genetic factors to the development of diseases may be investigated either by means of animal experiments, through linkage studies in families of affected patients, or population based case–control studies. With regard to the latter, single nucleotide polymorphisms of genes involved in the degradation of alcohol, antioxidant defense, necroinflammation, and formation and degradation of extracellular matrix are attractive candidates for studying genotype–phenotype associations. However, many associations in early studies were found to be spurious and could not be confirmed in stringently designed investigations. Therefore, future genotype–phenotype studies in alcoholic liver disease should meet certain requirements in order to avoid pure chance observations due to a lack of power, false functional interpretation, and insufficient statistical evaluation.”