Alcohol is the first factor implicated in triggering cirrhosis, liver diseases characterized by diffuse and irreversible lesions. Digestion of alcoholic beverages produces molecules that are toxic to liver cells. But according to researchers in gastrology and pathophysiology at the University of San Diego (California, United States), certain intestinal cells could also constitute an aggravating factor in regular alcohol users. Their study is published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe and revealed by the site Medical News Today.
Multiplication of intestinal bacteria
To ensure the digestion, cells in the gut make proteins, the REG3B and REG3G lectins, which act like antibiotics by destroying unwanted bacteria. According to this study, chronic alcoholism could interfere with the production of these proteins. Result: the number of bacteria is no longer regulated. They multiply and even manage to cross the intestinal wall to the blood vessels, up to the liver, generating or worsening the lesions characteristic of cirrhosis. To arrive at these conclusions, the researchers analyzed the livers of two types of mice: a first group did not make lectins and a second made a lot of them. They observed that the less lectins these rodents produced, the more lesions the liver showed. At the same time, scientists have found abnormally high levels of intestinal bacteria in people with alcoholism, which suggests that lectins may not be produced in sufficient quantities in the event of regular alcohol consumption.
Determine the role of the intestinal flora
This new result opens up new therapeutic avenues for minimizing the damage caused by alcohol. “Future research will have two goals: to identify molecules or strategies to increase the production of REG3 that could be used as a therapeutic approach in patients with alcohol-related liver disease. “, Says Doctor Bernd Schnabl, lead author of the study, to Medical News Today. “It will also be important to determine whether certain bacteria in the gut microbiota make liver disease worse.“says the doctor.
the intestinal microbiota is the scientific term for the intestinal flora, the collection of bacteria that live in our digestive tract and actively participate in digestion. In recent years, numerous scientific studies have shown that abnormalities in the microbiota could play a role in several pathologies such asautism, the diabetes or theobesity.
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