Dietary Copper-fructose Interactions Alter Gut Microbiome/Metabolome in a Sex-variable Manner Contributing to the Development of NAFLD

The proposed studies focus on the pathogenesis of NAFLD/NASH, which is an important component of chronic liver diseases with increasing prevalence and economic impact. The proposed studies will advance our understanding of copper-fructose interaction in the pathogenesis of NAFLD from the perspective of gut-liver axis and sex. These studies will further define a phenotype of NAFLD we see in the clinic - high fructose consuming young males with marginal copper/ceruloplasmin levels. Results of the proposed studies also could pave the way for new therapeutic targets and nutrition/drug interventions.

本项拟开展的研究聚焦于非酒精性脂肪性肝病（Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, NAFLD）/非酒精性脂肪性肝炎（Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis, NASH）的发病机制。该疾病作为慢性肝病的重要组成部分，其患病率与相关经济影响均呈上升态势。本研究将从肠-肝轴与性别差异的视角，深化对铜-果糖相互作用在NAFLD发病机制中作用的理解。本研究还将进一步明确临床中观察到的一类NAFLD表型——即果糖摄入偏高、血清铜/铜蓝蛋白水平处于临界范围的年轻男性群体。本研究的成果还可为新型治疗靶点的开发以及营养、药物干预手段的研发铺平道路。