How B vitamins could potentially treat or prevent non-alcoholic steatohepatitis in people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (IMAGE)
Caption
Western-style diets, which are typically high in fructose intake, can lead to elevated serum and hepatic homocysteine levels in blood (a medical condition known as hyperhomocysteinemia), which the research team found to be directly proportional to the severity of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease that has progressed to NASH. They demonstrated that hyperhomocysteinemia causes homocysteinylation of the key autophagy protein STX17, leading to autophagy inhibition during NASH development and progression. Supplementation with vitamin B12 and folate not only restored autophagy (an essential cellular process by which cells remove malformed proteins or damaged organelles), it also reduced overall NASH pathology.
Credit
Duke-NUS Medical School
Usage Restrictions
Image may be used only in conjunction with the caption and attribution provided.
License
Original content