Micro RNA's in alcoholic liver disease

Alcoholic liver disease affects millions of people worldwide and it remains to be a therapeutic challenge for clinicians. Activation of the inflammatory cascade via gut-derived lipopolysaccharide (LPS) contributes to alcoholic liver disease via induction of pro-inflammatory cytokines induction in Kupffer cells. Micro-RNA-155 (miR-155), small non-coding RNA molecule, is important in regulation of inflammation. Our Preliminary data demonstrate that chronic alcohol up-regulates miR155 in macrophages in vitro as as as in vivo in the liver and in isolated Kupffer cells and this miR155 increase contributes to inflammation in alcoholic liver disease.