Regulation of Obesity and Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Diseases by Modulation of the Gut Microbiota Through Inflammasome; its Mechanism and Potential for Clinical Use

Jae-Hwan Nam

doi:10.4167/jbv.2012.42.4.359

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Nam: Regulation of Obesity and Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Diseases by Modulation of the Gut Microbiota Through Inflammasome; its Mechanism and Potential for Clinical Use

Letter to the Editor

Journal of Bacteriology and Virology

Journal of Bacteriology and Virology 2012; 42(4): 359-362.

Published online: 24 December 2012

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4167/jbv.2012.42.4.359

Regulation of Obesity and Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Diseases by Modulation of the Gut Microbiota Through Inflammasome; its Mechanism and Potential for Clinical Use

Jae-Hwan Nam

Department of Biotechnology, The Catholic University of Korea, Bucheon, Korea.

Corresponding author: Jae-Hwan Nam, Ph.D. Department of Biotechnology, The Catholic University of Korea, 43-1 Yeokgok 2-dong, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon, Gyeonggi-do, 420-743, Korea. Phone: +82-2-2164-4917, Fax: +82-2-2164-4917, jhnam@catholic.ac.kr

Received 10 September 2012 Revised 19 October 2012 Accepted 22 October 2012

(open-access):

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/license/by-nc/3.0/).

Abstract

The revelation that gut microbes are associated with the pathogenesis of human diseases such as obesity, colon cancer, inflammatory bowel disease and liver-related diseases has resulted in the role of gut microbes becoming a novel research topic in basic and clinical science. Recently, emphasis has been placed on the role of gut microbes in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and its progressive form, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Researchers have suggested that inflammasome deficiency-changed dysbiosis is associated with exacerbating NAFLD/NASH progression. This particular study also showed a direct 'gut-liver axis' regulated by modulation of gut microbiota. This paper (Nature 2012;482: 179-185) was summarized herein and the potential clinical applications were discussed.

Keywords: Inflammasome, Gut microbiota, Dysbiosis, NAFLD, NASH

Figures and Tables

Figure 1

Structural diagram and mechanism for the regulation of inflammasome (modified and adapted from reference 1 and 3).

Figure 2

Summary of the severity of NASH, as determined by ALT and AST, as well as of the NAFLD activity score determined by histological scores for steatosis and inflammation. The term 'co-housed mouse' refers to a mouse placed in the same cage as the tested mouse. The 'tested mouse' indicates mice on which several biological inspections were conducted (modified and adapted from reference 1).

References

1. Henao-Mejia J, Elinav E, Jin C, Hao L, Mehal WZ, Strowig T, et al. Inflammasome-mediated dysbiosis regulates progression of NAFLD and obesity. Nature. 2012. 482:179–185.

2. Wen H, Ting JP, O'Neill LA. A role for the NLRP3 inflammasome in metabolic diseases--did Warburg miss inflammation? Nat Immunol. 2012. 13:352–357.

3. Hong S, Park S, Yu JW. Pyrin domain (PYD)-containing inflammasome in innate immunity. J Bacteriol Virol. 2011. 41:133–146.

4. Rathinam VA, Vanaja SK, Fitzgerald KA. Regulation of inflammasome signaling. Nat Immunol. 2012. 13:333–332.

5. Vandanmagsar B, Youm YH, Ravussin A, Galgani JE, Stadler K, Mynatt RL, et al. The NLRP3 inflammasome instigates obesity-induced inflammation and insulin resistance. Nat Med. 2011. 17:179–188.

6. Henao-Mejia J, Elinav E, Strowig T, Flavell RA. Inflammasomes: far beyond inflammation. Nat Immunol. 2012. 13:321–324.

7. Elinav E, Strowig T, Kau AL, Henao-Mejia J, Thaiss CA, Booth CJ, et al. NLRP6 inflammasome regulates colonic microbial ecology and risk for colitis. Cell. 2011. 145:745–757.

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