1 1412 154 DIETARY PATTERNS INFLUENCE TARGET GENE EXPRESSION THROUGH EMERGING EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS IN NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE. NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NAFLD) REFERS TO THE PATHOLOGIC BUILDUP OF EXTRA FAT IN THE FORM OF TRIGLYCERIDES IN LIVER CELLS WITHOUT EXCESSIVE ALCOHOL INTAKE. NAFLD BECAME THE MOST COMMON CAUSE OF CHRONIC LIVER DISEASE THAT IS TIGHTLY ASSOCIATED WITH KEY ASPECTS OF METABOLIC DISORDERS, INCLUDING INSULIN RESISTANCE, OBESITY, DIABETES, AND METABOLIC SYNDROME. IT IS GENERALLY ACCEPTED THAT MULTIPLE MECHANISMS AND PATHWAYS ARE INVOLVED IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF NAFLD. HEREDITY, SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE, WESTERNIZED HIGH SUGAR SATURATED FAT DIET, METABOLIC DERANGEMENTS, AND GUT MICROBIOTA, ALL MAY INTERACT ON A ON GENETICALLY SUSCEPTIBLE INDIVIDUAL TO CAUSE THE DISEASE INITIATION AND PROGRESSION. WHILE THERE IS AN UNQUESTIONABLE ROLE FOR GENE-DIET INTERACTION IN THE ETIOPATHOGENESIS OF NAFLD, IT IS INCREASINGLY APPARENT THAT EPIGENETIC PROCESSES CAN ORCHESTRATE MANY ASPECTS OF THIS INTERACTION AND PROVIDE ADDITIONAL MECHANISTIC INSIGHT. EXCITING RESEARCH DEMONSTRATED THAT EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS IN CHROMATIN CAN INFLUENCE GENE EXPRESSION CHIEFLY AT THE TRANSCRIPTIONAL LEVEL IN RESPONSE TO UNBALANCED DIET, AND THEREFORE PREDISPOSE AN INDIVIDUAL TO NAFLD. THUS, FURTHER DISCOVERIES INTO MOLECULAR EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THE LINK BETWEEN NUTRITION AND ABERRANT HEPATIC GENE EXPRESSION CAN YIELD NEW INSIGHTS INTO THE PATHOGENESIS OF NAFLD, AND ALLOW INNOVATIVE EPIGENETIC-BASED STRATEGIES FOR ITS EARLY PREVENTION AND TARGETED THERAPIES. HEREIN, WE OUTLINE THE CURRENT KNOWLEDGE OF THE INTERACTIVE ROLE OF A HIGH-FAT HIGH-CALORIES DIET AND GENE EXPRESSION THROUGH DNA METHYLATION AND HISTONE MODIFICATIONS ON THE PATHOGENESIS OF NAFLD. WE ALSO PROVIDE PERSPECTIVES ON THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE EPIGENOMICS IN THE FIELD AND POSSIBLE SHORTCOMINGS AND LIMITATIONS AHEAD. 2021 2 5079 52 PHYSIOPATHOLOGY OF NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE: FROM DIET TO NUTRIGENOMICS. PURPOSE OF REVIEW: NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NAFLD) IS THE MOST COMMON CAUSE OF CHRONIC LIVER DISEASE WORLDWIDE AND IS STRONGLY ASSOCIATED WITH METABOLIC DISORDERS, SUCH AS OBESITY, TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS, AND METABOLIC SYNDROME, TO THE EXTENT THAT A NEW DEFINITION OF METABOLIC ASSOCIATED FATTY LIVER DISEASE HAS BEEN PROPOSED. RECENT FINDINGS: INSULIN RESISTANCE, WORSENED BY A HIGH-FAT AND HIGH-CARBOHYDRATE DIET, IS THE KEY TO THE PHYSIOPATHOLOGY OF HEPATIC STEATOSIS. THIS IS DRIVEN BY SEVERAL MECHANISMS THAT ARE MOSTLY ACTIVATED AT A GENETIC LEVEL, SUCH AS DE-NOVO LIPOGENESIS AND TRIGLYCERIDE SYNTHESIS. THEREFORE, MANY DIET REGIMENS HAVE BEEN STUDIED, ALTHOUGH SIGNIFICANT CONTROVERSIES REMAIN REGARDING THEIR METABOLIC EFFECTS AND LONG-TERM SUSTAINABILITY. SUMMARY: IN THIS REVIEW, WE SUMMARIZED THE ROLE AND EFFECTS OF THE MAIN MACRONUTRIENTS ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF NAFLD AND DISCUSSED THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS INVOLVED. WE ALSO DISCUSSED THE IMPORTANCE OF GENETIC POLYMORPHISMS, EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS, AND DYSBIOSIS TO DETERMINE IF LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION AND A SPECIFIC DIETARY REGIMEN COULD BE AN ESSENTIAL PART OF NAFLD TREATMENT. 2022 3 4314 41 MICRORNAS AS CONTROLLED SYSTEMS AND CONTROLLERS IN NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE. NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NAFLD) IS A MULTI-FACETED CONDITION INCLUDING SIMPLE STEATOSIS ALONE OR ASSOCIATED WITH INFLAMMATION AND BALLOONING (NON-ALCOHOLIC STEATOHEPATITIS) AND EVENTUALLY FIBROSIS. THE NAFLD INCIDENCE HAS INCREASED OVER THE LAST TWENTY YEARS BECOMING THE MOST FREQUENT CHRONIC LIVER DISEASE IN INDUSTRIALIZED COUNTRIES. OBESITY, VISCERAL ADIPOSITY, INSULIN RESISTANCE, AND MANY OTHER DISORDERS THAT CHARACTERIZE METABOLIC SYNDROME ARE THE MAJOR PREDISPOSING RISK FACTORS FOR NAFLD. FURTHERMORE, DIFFERENT FACTORS, INCLUDING GENETIC BACKGROUND, EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, SUCH AS DIET AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE, CONTRIBUTE TO NAFLD DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRESSION. SEVERAL LINES OF EVIDENCE DEMONSTRATE THAT SPECIFIC MICRORNAS EXPRESSION PROFILES ARE STRONGLY ASSOCIATED WITH SEVERAL PATHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS INCLUDING NAFLD. IN NAFLD, MICRORNA DEREGULATION IN RESPONSE TO INTRINSIC GENETIC OR EPIGENETIC FACTORS OR ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS CONTRIBUTES TO METABOLIC DYSFUNCTION. IN THIS REVIEW WE FOCUSED ON MICRORNAS ROLE BOTH AS CONTROLLED AND CONTROLLERS MOLECULES IN NAFLD DEVELOPMENT AND/OR THEIR EVENTUAL VALUE AS NON-INVASIVE BIOMARKERS OF DISEASE. 2014 4 4710 31 NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE AND THE IMPACT OF GENETIC, EPIGENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS IN THE OFFSPRING. NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NAFLD) IS THE MOST COMMON CHRONIC LIVER DISEASE WORLDWIDE AND IS STRONGLY ASSOCIATED WITH METABOLIC DEREGULATION. MORE RECENTLY, A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT OF PARENTAL NAFLD IN THE OFFSPRING WAS DEMONSTRATED AND HAS BEEN WIDELY DISCUSSED. HOWEVER, PATHOGENETIC PATHWAYS IMPLICATED IN THE INHERITANCE BY THE OFFSPRING AND RELATIVES ARE STILL UNDER DEBATE. PROBABLY, MULTIPLE MECHANISMS ARE INVOLVED AS WELL AS IN NAFLD PATHOGENESIS ITSELF. AMONG THE MULTIFACTORIAL INVOLVED MECHANISMS, GENETIC, EPIGENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL BACKGROUNDS ARE STRONGLY RELATED TO NAFLD DEVELOPMENT IN THE OFFSPRING. THUS, BASED ON RECENT EVIDENCE FROM THE AVAILABLE LITERATURE CONCERNING GENETIC, EPIGENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL DISEASE MODIFIERS, THIS REVIEW AIMED TO DISCUSS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PARENTAL NAFLD AND ITS IMPACT ON THE OFFSPRING. 2022 5 1285 47 DECIPHERING THE ROLE OF ABERRANT DNA METHYLATION IN NAFLD AND NASH. THE GLOBAL INCIDENCE OF NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NAFLD) IS MOUNTING INCESSANTLY, AND IT IS EMERGING AS THE MOST FREQUENT CAUSE OF CHRONIC AND END STAGE LIVER DISORDERS. IT IS THE STARTING POINT FOR A RANGE OF CONDITIONS FROM SIMPLE STEATOSIS TO MORE PROGRESSIVE NONALCOHOLIC STEATOHEPATITIS (NASH) AND ASSOCIATED HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA (HCC). DYSREGULATION OF INSULIN SECRETION AND DYSLIPIDEMIA DUE TO OBESITY AND OTHER LIFESTYLE VARIABLES ARE THE PRIMARY CONTRIBUTORS TO ESTABLISHMENT OF NAFLD. ONSET AND PROGRESSION OF NAFLD IS ORCHESTRATED BY AN INTERPLAY OF METABOLIC ENVIRONMENT WITH GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC FACTORS. AN INCOMPLETELY UNDERSTOOD MECHANISM OF NAFLD PROGRESSION HAS GREATLY HAMPERED THE PROGRESS IN IDENTIFICATION OF NOVEL PROGNOSTIC AND THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES. EMERGING EVIDENCE SUGGESTS ALTERED DNA METHYLATION PATTERN AS A KEY DETERMINANT OF NAFLD PATHOGENESIS. ENVIRONMENTAL AND LIFESTYLE FACTORS CAN MANIPULATE DNA METHYLATION PATTERNS IN A REVERSIBLE MANNER, WHICH MANIFESTS AS CHANGES IN GENE EXPRESSION. IN THIS REVIEW WE ATTEMPT TO HIGHLIGHT THE IMPORTANCE OF DNA METHYLATION IN ESTABLISHMENT AND PROGRESSION OF NAFLD. DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL DIAGNOSTIC, PROGNOSTIC AND THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES CENTERED AROUND DNA METHYLATION SIGNATURES AND MODIFIERS HAS ALSO BEEN EXPLORED. 2022 6 1491 54 DNA HYDROXYMETHYLATION AT THE INTERFACE OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE. NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NAFLD) IS ONE OF THE MOST PREVALENT FORMS OF CHRONIC LIVER DISORDERS AMONG ADULTS, CHILDREN, AND ADOLESCENTS, AND A GROWING EPIDEMIC, WORLDWIDE. NOTWITHSTANDING THE KNOWN SUSCEPTIBILITY FACTORS FOR NAFLD, I.E., OBESITY AND METABOLIC SYNDROME, THE EXACT CAUSE(S) OF THIS DISEASE AND THE UNDERLYING MECHANISMS OF ITS INITIATION AND PROGRESSION ARE NOT FULLY ELUCIDATED. NAFLD IS A MULTI-FACETED DISEASE WITH METABOLIC, GENETIC, EPIGENETIC, AND ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINANTS. ACCUMULATING EVIDENCE SHOWS THAT EXPOSURE TO ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICANTS CONTRIBUTES TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF NAFLD BY PROMOTING MITOCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTION AND GENERATING REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES IN THE LIVER. IMBALANCES IN THE REDOX STATE OF THE CELLS ARE KNOWN TO CAUSE ALTERATIONS IN THE PATTERNS OF 5-HYDROXYMETHYLCYTOSINE (5HMC), THE OXIDATIVE PRODUCT OF 5-METHYLCYTOSINE (5MC), THEREBY INFLUENCING GENE REGULATION. THE 5HMC-MEDIATED DEREGULATION OF GENES INVOLVED IN HEPATIC METABOLISM IS AN EMERGING AREA OF RESEARCH IN NAFLD. THIS REVIEW SUMMARIZES OUR CURRENT KNOWLEDGE ON THE INTERACTIVE ROLE OF XENOBIOTIC EXPOSURE AND DNA HYDROXYMETHYLATION IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF FATTY LIVER DISEASE. INCREASING THE MECHANISTIC KNOWLEDGE OF NAFLD INITIATION AND PROGRESSION IS CRUCIAL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW AND EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES FOR PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF THIS DISEASE. 2019 7 6264 42 THE MULTIPLE-HIT PATHOGENESIS OF NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NAFLD). NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NAFLD) IS INCREASINGLY PREVALENT AND REPRESENTS A GROWING CHALLENGE IN TERMS OF PREVENTION AND TREATMENT. DESPITE ITS HIGH PREVALENCE, ONLY A SMALL MINORITY OF AFFECTED PATIENTS DEVELOPS INFLAMMATION AND SUBSEQUENTLY FIBROSIS AND CHRONIC LIVER DISEASE, WHILE MOST OF THEM ONLY EXHIBIT SIMPLE STEATOSIS. IN THIS CONTEXT, THE FULL UNDERSTANDING OF THE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THE DEVELOPMENT OF NAFLD AND NON-ALCOHOLIC STEATOHEPATITIS (NASH) IS OF EXTREME IMPORTANCE; DESPITE ADVANCES IN THIS FIELD, KNOWLEDGE ON THE PATHOGENESIS OF NAFLD IS STILL INCOMPLETE. THE 'TWO-HIT' HYPOTHESIS IS NOW OBSOLETE, AS IT IS INADEQUATE TO EXPLAIN THE SEVERAL MOLECULAR AND METABOLIC CHANGES THAT TAKE PLACE IN NAFLD. THE "MULTIPLE HIT" HYPOTHESIS CONSIDERS MULTIPLE INSULTS ACTING TOGETHER ON GENETICALLY PREDISPOSED SUBJECTS TO INDUCE NAFLD AND PROVIDES A MORE ACCURATE EXPLANATION OF NAFLD PATHOGENESIS. SUCH HITS INCLUDE INSULIN RESISTANCE, HORMONES SECRETED FROM THE ADIPOSE TISSUE, NUTRITIONAL FACTORS, GUT MICROBIOTA AND GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC FACTORS. IN THIS ARTICLE, WE REVIEW THE FACTORS THAT FORM THIS HYPOTHESIS. 2016 8 3293 46 HIGH FAT DIET-TRIGGERED NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE: A REVIEW OF PROPOSED MECHANISMS. OBESITY IS CHARACTERIZED BY THE DEPOSITION OF EXCESSIVE BODY FAT, AND IS CAUSED BY ENERGY IMBALANCE, ESPECIALLY WHEN CONSUMING FAT-RICH DIETS. HIGH FAT DIET (HFD)-ASSOCIATED OBESITY IS GREATLY COMMON IN PATIENTS WITH NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NAFLD) THAT IS EMERGING AS ONE OF THE MOST UNIVERSAL CAUSES OF LIVER DISEASE WORLDWIDE, ESPECIALLY IN WESTERN COUNTRIES. IN SPITE OF ITS HIGH PREVALENCE, ONLY A SMALL PROPORTION OF AFFECTED INDIVIDUALS WILL BECOME INFLAMED, FOLLOWED BY FIBROSIS AND CHRONIC LIVER DISEASES, AND MOST PATIENTS ONLY SHOW SIMPLE STEATOSIS. IN THIS CASE, THE FULL COMPREHENSION OF THE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THE PROGRESSION OF NAFLD IS OF EXTREME SIGNIFICANCE; IN SPITE OF PROGRESS IN THIS FIELD, AWARENESS ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF NAFLD IS STILL INCOMPLETE. TRADITIONALLY, LIVER STEATOSIS IS COMMONLY CONNECTED WITH HFD, OBESITY, AND INSULIN RESISTANCE (IR). RECENTLY, VARIOUS POSSIBLE MECHANISMS HAVE BEEN PUT FORWARD FOR LIVER DAMAGE, INCLUDING ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM STRESS, PERTURBATION OF AUTOPHAGY, MITOCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTION, HEPATOCELLULAR APOPTOSIS, GUT MICROBIOTA IMBALANCE, DYSREGULATION OF MICRORNAS, AND GENETIC/EPIGENETIC RISK FACTORS, AS WELL AS AN INCREASE IN INFLAMMATORY RESPONSES, AMONG MANY OTHERS. COLLECTIVELY, THESE PROPOSED MECHANISMS ALLOW FOR A VARIETY OF HITS ACTING TOGETHER ON SUBJECTS TO MEDIATED NAFLD AND WILL OFFER A MORE ACCURATE EXPLANATION FOR PROGRESSION OF NAFLD. THEREFORE, THIS REVIEW SUMMARIZES THE PRESENT INFORMATION CONCERNING NAFLD AFTER HFD EXPOSURE, AS WELL AS DISCUSSES POSSIBLE MECHANISMS THROUGH WHICH IT MAY ARISE. 2020 9 4795 45 NUTRITIONAL GENOMICS IN NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE. NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NAFLD) IS A COMMON CHRONIC CONDITION ASSOCIATED WITH GENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS IN WHICH FAT ABNORMALLY ACCUMULATES IN THE LIVER. NAFLD IS EPIDEMIOLOGICALLY ASSOCIATED WITH OBESITY, TYPE 2 DIABETES, AND DYSLIPIDEMIA. ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, SUCH AS PHYSICAL INACTIVITY AND AN UNBALANCED DIET, INTERACT WITH GENETIC FACTORS, SUCH AS EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS AND POLYMORPHISMS FOR THE GENESIS AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE CONDITION. DIFFERENT GENETIC POLYMORPHISMS SEEM TO BE INVOLVED IN THIS CONTEXT, INCLUDING VARIANTS IN PNPLA3, TM6SF2, PEMT, AND CHDH GENES, PLAYING A ROLE IN THE DISEASE'S SUSCEPTIBILITY, DEVELOPMENT, AND SEVERITY. FROM CARBOHYDRATE INTAKE AND WEIGHT LOSS TO OMEGA-3 SUPPLEMENTATION AND CALORIC RESTRICTION, DIFFERENT DIETARY AND NUTRITIONAL FACTORS APPEAR TO BE INVOLVED IN CONTROLLING THE ONSET AND PROGRESSION OF NAFLD CONDITIONS INFLUENCING METABOLISM, GENE, AND PROTEIN EXPRESSION. THE POLYGENIC RISK SCORE REPRESENTS A SUM OF TRAIT-ASSOCIATED ALLELES CARRIED BY AN INDIVIDUAL AND SEEMS TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH NAFLD OUTCOMES DEPENDING ON THE DIETARY CONTEXT. UNDERSTANDING THE EXACT EXTENT TO WHICH LIFESTYLE INTERVENTIONS AND GENETIC PREDISPOSITIONS CAN PLAY A ROLE IN THE PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT OF NAFLD CAN BE CRUCIAL FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A PERSONALIZED AND INTEGRATIVE APPROACH TO PATIENTS. 2023 10 4722 39 NONCODING RNAS IN NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE: POTENTIAL DIAGNOSIS AND PROGNOSIS BIOMARKERS. NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NAFLD) IS CURRENTLY THE MOST COMMON CHRONIC LIVER DISEASE WORLDWIDE IN PART DUE TO THE CONCOMITANT OBESITY PANDEMIC AND INSULIN RESISTANCE (IR). IT IS INCREASINGLY BECOMING EVIDENT THAT NAFLD IS A DISEASE AFFECTING NUMEROUS EXTRAHEPATIC VITAL ORGANS AND REGULATORY PATHWAYS. THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THE NONALCOHOLIC STEATOSIS FORMATION ARE POORLY UNDERSTOOD, AND LITTLE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE PATHWAYS THAT ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PROGRESSIVE HEPATOCELLULAR DAMAGE THAT FOLLOWS LIPID ACCUMULATION. RECENTLY, MUCH RESEARCH HAS FOCUSED ON THE IDENTIFICATION OF THE EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO NAFLD PATHOGENESIS. NONCODING RNAS (NCRNAS) ARE ONE OF SUCH EPIGENETIC FACTORS THAT COULD BE IMPLICATED IN THE NAFLD DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRESSION. IN THIS REVIEW, WE SUMMARIZE THE CURRENT KNOWLEDGE OF THE GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC FACTORS POTENTIALLY UNDERLYING THE DISEASE. PARTICULAR EMPHASIS WILL BE PUT ON THE CONTRIBUTION OF MICRORNAS (MIRNAS), LONG NONCODING RNAS (LNCRNAS), AND CIRCULAR RNAS (CIRCRNAS) TO THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF NAFLD AS WELL AS THEIR POTENTIAL USE AS THERAPEUTIC TARGETS OR AS MARKERS FOR THE PREDICTION AND THE PROGRESSION OF THE DISEASE. 2020 11 1721 37 DYSREGULATION OF AUTOPHAGY ACTS AS A PATHOGENIC MECHANISM OF NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NAFLD) INDUCED BY COMMON ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS. NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NAFLD) HAS BEEN THE MOST COMMON CHRONIC LIVER DISEASE IN THE WORLD, INCLUDING THE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. NAFLD IS METABOLIC DISEASE WITH SIGNIFICANT LIPID DEPOSITION IN THE HEPATOCYTES OF THE LIVER, WHICH IS USUALLY ASSOCIATED WITH OXIDATIVE STRESS, INFLAMMATION AND FIBROGENESIS, AND INSULIN RESISTANCE. PROGRESSIVE NAFLD CAN DEVELOP INTO NON-ALCOHOLIC STEATOHEPATITIS (NASH) OR HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA. THE CURRENT EVIDENCE PROPOSES THAT ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS PROMOTE DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRESSION OF NAFLD, AND AUTOPHAGY PLAYS A VITAL ROLE BUT IS MULTIFACTORIAL AFFECTED IN NAFLD. IN THIS REVIEW, WE ANALYZED ON THE REGULATIONS OF COMMON ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS ON AUTOPHAGY IN NAFLD. TO CLARIFY THE INVOLVED ROLES OF AUTOPHAGY, WE DISCUSSED THE DYSREGULATION OF AUTOPHAGY BY ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS IN ADIPOSE TISSUE AND GUT, AND THEIR INTERACTIONS WITH LIVER, AS WELL AS EPIGENETIC REGULATION ON AUTOPHAGY BY ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS. FURTHERMORE, PROTECTIVE ROLES OF POTENTIAL THERAPEUTIC TREATMENTS ON THE MULTIPLE-HITS OF AUTOPHAGY IN NAFLD WERE DESCRIPTED. 2021 12 4712 38 NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE: METABOLIC, GENETIC, EPIGENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL RISK FACTORS. NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NAFLD) IS ONE OF THE MOST FREQUENT CAUSES OF CHRONIC LIVER DISEASE IN THE WESTERN WORLD, PROBABLY DUE TO THE GROWING PREVALENCE OF OBESITY, METABOLIC DISEASES, AND EXPOSURE TO SOME ENVIRONMENTAL AGENTS. IN CERTAIN PATIENTS, SIMPLE HEPATIC STEATOSIS CAN PROGRESS TO NON-ALCOHOLIC STEATOHEPATITIS (NASH), WHICH CAN SOMETIMES LEAD TO LIVER CIRRHOSIS AND ITS COMPLICATIONS INCLUDING HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA. UNDERSTANDING THE MECHANISMS THAT CAUSE THE PROGRESSION OF NAFLD TO NASH IS CRUCIAL TO BE ABLE TO CONTROL THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE DISEASE. THE MAIN HYPOTHESIS CONSIDERS THAT IT IS DUE TO MULTIPLE FACTORS THAT ACT TOGETHER ON GENETICALLY PREDISPOSED SUBJECTS TO SUFFER FROM NAFLD INCLUDING INSULIN RESISTANCE, NUTRITIONAL FACTORS, GUT MICROBIOTA, AND GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC FACTORS. IN THIS ARTICLE, WE WILL DISCUSS THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF NAFLD, AND WE OVERVIEW SEVERAL TOPICS THAT INFLUENCE THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE DISEASE FROM SIMPLE STEATOSIS TO LIVER CIRRHOSIS AND ITS POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS. 2021 13 2954 40 GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC FACTORS DETERMINING NAFLD RISK. BACKGROUND: HEPATIC STEATOSIS IS A COMMON CHRONIC LIVER DISEASE THAT CAN PROGRESS INTO MORE SEVERE STAGES OF NAFLD OR PROMOTE THE DEVELOPMENT OF LIFE-THREATENING SECONDARY DISEASES FOR SOME OF THOSE AFFECTED. THESE INCLUDE THE LIVER ITSELF (NONALCOHOLIC STEATOHEPATITIS OR NASH; FIBROSIS AND CIRRHOSIS, AND HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA) OR OTHER ORGANS SUCH AS THE VESSELS AND THE HEART (CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE) OR THE ISLETS OF LANGERHANS (TYPE 2 DIABETES). IN ADDITION TO ELEVATED CALORIC INTAKE AND A SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE, GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC PREDISPOSITION CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF NAFLD AND THE SECONDARY DISEASES. SCOPE OF REVIEW: WE PRESENT DATA FROM GENOME-WIDE ASSOCIATION STUDIES (GWAS) AND FUNCTIONAL STUDIES IN RODENTS WHICH DESCRIBE POLYMORPHISMS IDENTIFIED IN GENES RELEVANT FOR THE DISEASE AS WELL AS CHANGES CAUSED BY ALTERED DNA METHYLATION AND GENE REGULATION VIA SPECIFIC MIRNAS. THE REVIEW ALSO PROVIDES INFORMATION ON THE CURRENT STATUS OF THE USE OF GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC FACTORS AS RISK MARKERS. MAJOR CONCLUSION: WITH OUR OVERVIEW WE PROVIDE AN INSIGHT INTO THE GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC LANDSCAPE OF NAFLD AND ARGUE ABOUT THE APPLICABILITY OF CURRENTLY DEFINED RISK SCORES FOR RISK STRATIFICATION AND CONCLUDE THAT FURTHER EFFORTS ARE NEEDED TO MAKE THE SCORES MORE USABLE AND MEANINGFUL. 2021 14 2287 49 EPIGENETIC REGULATION IN LEAN NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE. NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NAFLD), THE MOST PROMINENT CAUSE OF CHRONIC LIVER DISEASE WORLDWIDE, IS A RAPIDLY GROWING EPIDEMIC. IT CONSISTS OF A WIDE RANGE OF LIVER DISEASES, FROM STEATOSIS TO NONALCOHOLIC STEATOHEPATITIS, AND PREDISPOSES PATIENTS TO LIVER FIBROSIS, CIRRHOSIS, AND EVEN HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA. NAFLD IS STRONGLY CORRELATED WITH OBESITY; HOWEVER, IT HAS BEEN EXTENSIVELY REPORTED AMONG LEAN/NONOBESE INDIVIDUALS IN RECENT YEARS. ALTHOUGH LEAN PATIENTS DEMONSTRATE A LOWER PREVALENCE OF DIABETES MELLITUS, CENTRAL OBESITY, DYSLIPIDEMIA, HYPERTENSION, AND METABOLIC SYNDROME, A PERCENTAGE OF THESE PATIENTS MAY DEVELOP STEATOHEPATITIS, ADVANCED LIVER FIBROSIS, AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, AND HAVE INCREASED ALL-CAUSE MORTALITY. THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS OF LEAN NAFLD REMAIN VAGUE. STUDIES HAVE REPORTED THAT LEAN NAFLD DEMONSTRATES A CLOSE ASSOCIATION WITH ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, GENETIC PREDISPOSITION, AND EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS. IN THIS REVIEW, WE AIM TO DISCUSS AND SUMMARIZE THE EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS INVOLVED IN LEAN NAFLD AND TO INTRODUCE THE INTERACTION BETWEEN EPIGENETIC PATTERNS AND GENETIC OR NON GENETIC FACTORS. SEVERAL EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS HAVE BEEN IMPLICATED IN THE REGULATION OF LEAN NAFLD. THESE INCLUDE DNA METHYLATION, HISTONE MODIFICATIONS, AND NONCODING-RNA-MEDIATED GENE REGULATION. EPIGENETICS IS AN AREA OF SPECIAL INTEREST IN THE SETTING OF LEAN NAFLD AS IT COULD PROVIDE NEW INSIGHTS INTO THE THERAPEUTIC OPTIONS AND NONINVASIVE BIOMARKERS THAT TARGET THIS UNDER-RECOGNIZED AND CHALLENGING DISORDER. 2023 15 3022 37 GENETICS AND EPIGENETICS PURPOSE IN NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE. INTRODUCTION: NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NAFLD) COMPRISES A BROAD SPECTRUM OF DISEASES, WHICH CAN PROGRESS FROM BENIGN STEATOSIS TO NONALCOHOLIC STEATOHEPATITIS, LIVER CIRRHOSIS AND HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA. NAFLD IS THE MOST COMMON CHRONIC LIVER DISEASE IN DEVELOPED COUNTRIES, AFFECTING APPROXIMATELY 25% OF THE GENERAL POPULATION. INSULIN RESISTANCE, ADIPOSE TISSUE DYSFUNCTION, MITOCHONDRIAL AND ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM STRESS, CHRONIC INFLAMMATION, GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC FACTORS ARE NAFLD TRIGGERS THAT CONTROL THE DISEASE SUSCEPTIBILITY AND PROGRESSION. AREAS COVERED: IN RECENT YEARS A LARGE NUMBER OF INVESTIGATIONS HAVE BEEN CARRIED OUT TO ELUCIDATE GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC FACTORS IN THE DISEASE PATHOGENESIS, AS WELL AS THE SEARCH FOR DIAGNOSTIC MARKERS AND THERAPEUTIC TARGETS. THIS PAPER OBJECTIVE IS TO REPORT THE MOST STUDIED GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC VARIANTS AROUND NAFLD. EXPERT OPINION: NAFLD LEAD TO VARIOUS COMORBIDITIES, WHICH HAVE A CONSIDERABLE IMPACT ON THE PATIENT WELLNESS AND LIFE QUALITY, AS WELL AS ON THE COSTS THEY GENERATE FOR THE COUNTRY'S HEALTH SERVICES. IT IS ESSENTIAL TO CONTINUE WITH MOLECULAR RESEARCH, SINCE IT COULD BE USED AS A CLINICAL TOOL FOR PROGNOSIS AND DISEASE SEVERITY. SPECIFICALLY, IN THE FIELD OF HEPATOLOGY, PLASMA MIRNAS COULD PROVIDE A NOVEL TOOL IN LIVER DISEASES DIAGNOSIS AND MONITORING, REPRESENTING AN ALTERNATIVE TO INVASIVE DIAGNOSTIC PROCEDURES. 2020 16 394 43 AN UPDATE IN EPIGENETICS IN METABOLIC-ASSOCIATED FATTY LIVER DISEASE. METABOLIC-ASSOCIATED FATTY LIVER DISEASE (MAFLD) IS CHARACTERIZED BY HEPATIC STEATOSIS ACCOMPANIED BY ONE OF THREE FEATURES: OVERWEIGHT OR OBESITY, T2DM, OR LEAN OR NORMAL WEIGHT WITH EVIDENCE OF METABOLIC DYSREGULATION. IT IS DISTINGUISHED BY EXCESSIVE FAT ACCUMULATION IN HEPATOCYTES, AND A DECREASE IN THE LIVER'S ABILITY TO OXIDIZE FATS, THE ACCUMULATION OF ECTOPIC FAT, AND THE ACTIVATION OF PROINFLAMMATORY PATHWAYS. CHRONIC DAMAGE WILL KEEP THIS PATHOPHYSIOLOGIC CYCLE ACTIVE CAUSING PROGRESSION FROM HEPATIC STEATOSIS TO CIRRHOSIS AND EVENTUALLY, HEPATOCARCINOMA. EPIGENETICS AFFECTING GENE EXPRESSION WITHOUT ALTERING DNA SEQUENCE ALLOWS US TO STUDY MAFLD PATHOPHYSIOLOGY FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE, IN WHICH DNA METHYLATION PROCESSES, HISTONE MODIFICATIONS, AND MIRNAS EXPRESSION HAVE BEEN CLOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH MAFLD PROGRESSION. HOWEVER, THESE CONSIDERATIONS ALSO FACED US WITH THE CIRCUMSTANCE THAT MODIFYING THOSE EPIGENETICS PATTERNS MIGHT LEAD TO MAFLD REGRESSION. CURRENTLY, EPIGENETICS IS AN AREA OF GREAT INTEREST BECAUSE IT COULD PROVIDE NEW INSIGHTS IN THERAPEUTIC TARGETS AND NON-INVASIVE BIOMARKERS. THIS REVIEW COMPRISES AN UPDATE ON THE ROLE OF EPIGENETIC PATTERNS, AS WELL AS INNOVATIVE THERAPEUTIC TARGETS AND BIOMARKERS IN MAFLD. 2021 17 5386 43 REDOX HOMEOSTASIS AND EPIGENETICS IN NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NAFLD). NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NAFLD), AN ACCUMULATION OF INTRA-HEPATIC TRIGLYCERIDES THAT IS OFTEN CONSIDERED THE HEPATIC MANIFESTATION OF INSULIN RESISTANCE, IS THE MOST COMMON CAUSE OF CHRONIC LIVER DISEASE IN THE WESTERN COUNTRIES WITH UP TO ONE THIRD OF THE POPULATION AFFECTED. NAFLD IS A SPECTRUM OF DISTURBANCES THAT ENCOMPASSES VARIOUS DEGREES OF LIVER DAMAGE RANGING FROM SIMPLE STEATOSIS TO NON-ALCOHOLIC STEATOHEPATITIS (NASH). NASH IS CHARACTERIZED BY HEPATOCELLULAR INJURY/INFLAMMATION WITH OR WITHOUT FIBROSIS. THE INDIVIDUALS WITH NAFLD DEVELOP NASH IN 10% OF THE CASES, AND ARE ALSO AT RISK OF DEVELOPING HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA (HCC). EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS OF NUCLEAR CHROMATIN REMODELING, SUCH AS DNA METHYLATION, POST-TRANSLATIONAL MODIFICATIONS OF HISTONES, AND INCORPORATION OF HISTONE VARIANTS INTO THE CHROMATIN ARE INCREASINGLY RECOGNIZED AS CRUCIAL FACTORS IN THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF NAFLD. NAFLD IS OFTEN ACCOMPANIED BY OXIDATIVE STRESS: REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES (ROS) ARE IMPLICATED IN ALTERED REDUCTION/OXIDATION (REDOX) REACTIONS THAT ATTACK CELLULAR MACROMOLECULES AND ARE DETECTED IN THE LIVER OF PATIENTS AND ANIMAL MODELS OF NAFLD. IN THIS REVIEW, WE SUMMARIZE RECENT KNOWLEDGE ADVANCEMENTS IN THE HEPATIC EPIGENETIC AND REDOX MECHANISMS, AND THEIR POSSIBLE LINKS, INVOLVED IN THE PATHOGENESIS AND TREATMENT OF NAFLD. 2013 18 4991 41 PEDIATRIC NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE: NUTRITIONAL ORIGINS AND POTENTIAL MOLECULAR MECHANISMS. NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NAFLD) IS THE NUMBER ONE CHRONIC LIVER DISEASE WORLDWIDE AND IS ESTIMATED TO AFFECT NEARLY 40% OF OBESE YOUTH AND UP TO 10% OF THE GENERAL PEDIATRIC POPULATION WITHOUT ANY OBVIOUS SIGNS OR SYMPTOMS. ALTHOUGH THE EARLY STAGES OF NAFLD ARE REVERSIBLE WITH DIET AND LIFESTYLE MODIFICATIONS, DETECTING SUCH STAGES IS HINDERED BY A LACK OF NON-INVASIVE METHODS OF RISK ASSESSMENT AND DIAGNOSIS. THIS ABSENCE OF NON-INVASIVE MEANS OF DIAGNOSIS IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE SCARCITY OF LONG-TERM PROSPECTIVE STUDIES OF PEDIATRIC NAFLD IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS. IN THE MAJORITY OF PEDIATRIC NAFLD CASES, THE MECHANISMS DRIVING THE ORIGIN AND RAPID PROGRESSION OF NAFLD REMAIN UNKNOWN. THE PROGRESSION FROM NAFLD TO NON-ALCOHOLIC STEATOHEPATITIS (NASH) IN YOUTH IS ASSOCIATED WITH UNIQUE HISTOLOGICAL FEATURES AND POSSIBLE IMMUNE PROCESSES AND METABOLIC PATHWAYS THAT MAY REFLECT DIFFERENT MECHANISMS COMPARED WITH ADULTS. RECENT DATA SUGGEST THAT CIRCULATING MICRORNAS (MIRNAS) ARE IMPORTANT NEW BIOMARKERS UNDERLYING PATHWAYS OF LIVER INJURY. SEVERAL FACTORS MAY CONTRIBUTE TO PEDIATRIC NAFLD DEVELOPMENT, INCLUDING HIGH-SUGAR DIETS, IN UTERO EXPOSURES VIA EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS, CHANGES IN THE NEONATAL MICROBIOME, AND ALTERED IMMUNE SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT AND MITOCHONDRIAL FUNCTION. THIS REVIEW FOCUSES ON THE UNIQUE ASPECTS OF PEDIATRIC NAFLD AND HOW NUTRITIONAL EXPOSURES IMPACT THE IMMUNE SYSTEM, MITOCHONDRIA, AND LIVER/GASTROINTESTINAL METABOLIC HEALTH. THESE FACTORS HIGHLIGHT THE NEED FOR ANSWERS TO HOW NAFLD DEVELOPS IN CHILDREN AND FOR EARLY STAGE-SPECIFIC INTERVENTIONS. 2020 19 4369 33 MIRNAS AND NAFLD: FROM PATHOPHYSIOLOGY TO THERAPY. NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NAFLD) IS ASSOCIATED WITH A THOROUGH REPROGRAMMING OF HEPATIC METABOLISM. EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS, IN PARTICULAR THOSE ASSOCIATED WITH DEREGULATION OF THE EXPRESSIONS AND ACTIVITIES OF MICRORNAS (MIRNAS), PLAY A MAJOR ROLE IN METABOLIC DISORDERS ASSOCIATED WITH NAFLD AND THEIR PROGRESSION TOWARDS MORE SEVERE STAGES OF THE DISEASE. IN THIS REVIEW, WE DISCUSS THE RECENT PROGRESS ADDRESSING THE ROLE OF THE MANY FACETS OF COMPLEX MIRNA REGULATORY NETWORKS IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRESSION OF NAFLD. THE BASIC CONCEPTS AND MECHANISMS OF MIRNA-MEDIATED GENE REGULATION AS WELL AS THE VARIOUS SETBACKS ENCOUNTERED IN BASIC AND TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH IN THIS FIELD ARE DEBATED. MIRNAS IDENTIFIED SO FAR, WHOSE EXPRESSIONS/ACTIVITIES ARE DEREGULATED IN NAFLD, AND WHICH CONTRIBUTE TO THE OUTCOMES OF THIS PATHOLOGY ARE FURTHER REVIEWED. FINALLY, THE POTENTIAL THERAPEUTIC USAGES IN A SHORT TO MEDIUM TERM OF MIRNA-BASED STRATEGIES IN NAFLD, IN PARTICULAR TO IDENTIFY NON-INVASIVE BIOMARKERS, OR TO DESIGN PHARMACOLOGICAL ANALOGUES/INHIBITORS HAVING A BROAD RANGE OF ACTIONS ON HEPATIC METABOLISM, ARE HIGHLIGHTED. 2019 20 4152 43 MECHANISTIC INSIGHTS INTO THE PLEIOTROPIC EFFECTS OF BUTYRATE AS A POTENTIAL THERAPEUTIC AGENT ON NAFLD MANAGEMENT: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NAFLD) IS ONE OF THE MOST COMMON CHRONIC DISEASES WORLDWIDE. AS A MULTIFACETED DISEASE, NAFLD'S PATHOGENESIS IS NOT ENTIRELY UNDERSTOOD, BUT RECENT EVIDENCE REVEALS THAT GUT MICROBIOTA PLAYS A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN ITS PROGRESSION. BUTYRATE, A GUT MICROBIOTA METABOLITE, HAS BEEN REPORTED TO HAVE HEPATO-PROTECTIVE EFFECTS IN NAFLD ANIMAL MODELS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW IS TO DETERMINE HOW BUTYRATE AFFECTS THE RISK FACTORS FOR NAFLD. SEARCHES WERE CONDUCTED USING RELEVANT KEYWORDS IN ELECTRONIC DATABASES UP TO MARCH 2022. ACCORDING TO THE EVIDENCE PRESENTED IN THIS STUDY, BUTYRATE CONTRIBUTES TO A WIDE VARIETY OF BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES IN THE GUT-LIVER AXIS. ITS BENEFICIAL PROPERTIES INCLUDE IMPROVING INTESTINAL HOMEOSTASIS AND LIVER HEALTH AS WELL AS ANTI-INFLAMMATORY, METABOLISM REGULATORY AND ANTI-OXIDATIVE EFFECTS. THESE EFFECTS MAY BE ATTRIBUTED TO BUTYRATE'S ABILITY TO REGULATE GENE EXPRESSION AS AN EPIGENETIC MODULATOR AND TRIGGER CELLULAR RESPONSES AS A SIGNALLING MOLECULE. HOWEVER, THE EXACT UNDERLYING MECHANISMS REMAIN UNCLEAR. HUMAN TRIALS HAVE NOT BEEN PERFORMED ON THE EFFECT OF BUTYRATE ON NAFLD, SO THERE ARE CONCERNS ABOUT WHETHER THE RESULTS OF ANIMAL STUDIES CAN BE TRANSLATED TO HUMANS. THIS REVIEW SUMMARISES THE CURRENT KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE PROPERTIES OF BUTYRATE, PARTICULARLY ITS POTENTIAL EFFECTS AND MECHANISMS ON LIVER HEALTH AND NAFLD MANAGEMENT. 2022