What is the role of reactive oxygen species in ethanol-mediated cell death of polarized hepatic cells?
Liver disease that results as a consequence of alcohol abuse is a major medical problem worldwide. Ethanol consumption leads to a variety of liver alterations including the accumulation of fat, inflammation of the liver, as well as the presence of scar tissue. However, how these events happen after drinking alcohol are not well understood. It is known that ethanol-related liver alterations involve impairments to the hepatocyte cell in the liver that includes the induction of cell death mechanisms. It has also been shown that as a consequence of ethanol metabolism, oxidative stress is induced in hepatocytes through the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, the relationship between hepatocellular oxidative stress and the promotion of cell injury is not completely understood. Recently, research published by B.L. McVicker and colleagues from The University of Nebraska Medical Center on June 7, 2009 in World Journal of Gastroenterology discussed the relationship that exists
