(The) role of growth differentiation factor 15 on adipose tissue macrophages after chronic alcohol consumption

Abstract

Alcohol consumption responsible for 3 million deaths each year globally and harmful use of alcohol contributes to 5.1% of the global burden of disease. Among the alcohol-induced diseases, alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is the most prevalent disease. Until now, most studies about ALD have focused on just the liver. However, it has recently been found that alcohol is also metabolized in other organs such as gut, bone marrow, and adipose tissue. Therefore, it is necessary to study ALD considering the effect of alcohol on other organs. Adipose tissue, along with the liver, is central organ that regulates whole body metabolism. Adipose tissue and the liver are closely related, and thus, there have been many studies of organ crosstalk between the two organs especially in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, few studies have been conducted on the effect of adipose tissue on ALD. Thus, in this research, we demonstrate the changes of adipose tissue, especially the adipose tissue macrophages, and the role of GDF15 in those changes in chronic alcohol condition.