Role of interleukin-1β in the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver disease / 临床肝胆病杂志

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) has become the second largest liver disease after viral liver disease in China. Chronic alcohol exposure increases the production of proinflammatory factors including interleukin-1β (IL-1β), which is closely associated with the main symptoms of alcoholic hepatitis such as pyrexia and elevated white blood cell count. This article introduces the production and function of IL-1β; in ALD, it promotes hepatic steatosis and inflammation by acting on liver parenchymal cells and nonparenchymal cells and accelerates liver fibrosis by regulating the proliferation of hepatic stellate cells. It is pointed out that interference with the IL-1β pathway may become one of the treatment strategies for ALD in the future.