Normal Liver -----Liver Inflammation-- Liver Cirrhosis--- Alcoholic Fatty Liver
Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver
The major goal of our research is to devise appropriate therapies that can either prevent or treat liver pathology. Currently, the aims of our work are (1) to understand the molecular basis for hepatic inflammation during alcoholic liver disease (ALD) and non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Since endotoxemia is a significant contributor to liver pathology during ALD and NAFLD, we are also (2) investigating the precise mechanisms by which endotoxin mediates inflammation. (3) Based on the recent proteomics data, the role of peroxiredoxin-6 (1-cys PRX) in higher liver injury in females is also under investigation. Finally, the lab is also interested in (4) developing new predictive biomarkers that can detect liver disease early in the course of the disease.
Role of Osteopontin in hepatic inflammation during ALD and NAFLD
Recently, we have identified that osteopontin (OPN) plays an important role in hepatic inflammation during ALD. Research gained from research in our lab with OPN neutralizing antibodies and knock out mice will add significantly to our understanding of how OPN regulates hepatic inflammation. It appears that OPN deliver signals to inflammatory cells reaching liver via multiple integrins and serves as both a cytokine and chemokine promoting adhesion and cellular migration. Clearly, OPN stimulates hepatic inflammation and efforts to block OPN and integrins by targeted therapy will inhibit hepatic pathologies and may become a clinically useful tool in treating liver inflammation.
New predictive biomarkers for liver disease
Assessing liver damage in basic toxicology research and in preclinical toxicity testing is usually evaluated by serum biochemical parameters prior to confirmation by histopathology. With the advent of newer methods such as genomics and proteomics, there is increased enthusiasm to generate “novel” predictive markers to detect liver pathology even before the alterations in clinical and histopathology parameters occur. This laboratory is interested in identifying such new clinical pathology markers.
