Key Transcription Factors: Avenue for Treating Alcoholic Liver Disease.

Abstract

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD), which includes a range of diseases, ranging from alcoholic steatosis, hepatitis, and fibrosis to cirrhosis and hepatocarcinoma, is a process of epigenetic remodeling involving multiple genes and metabolic pathways. ALD is involved in various transcriptional regulatory mechanisms, including lipid metabolism disorders, inflammatory responses, autophagy, fibrogenesis, oxidative stress, fatty acid metabolism, iron metabolism, and endoplasmic reticulum stress. In the occurrence of ALD and its response to the microenvironment, various transcription factors (TFs) play important roles. Targeted therapy involving these TFs may pave a novel avenue for the treatment of ALD. Here, we summarize the molecular characteristics of TFs and their involvement in the biological and pathological processes of ALD. We further discuss the current pharmaceutical treatments targeting these TFs and their mediators. This study provides detailed and accurate regulation maps of TFs for the targeted therapy of ALD.