Effects of bile duct ligation and cholic acid treatment on fatty liver in two rat models of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, one of the most prevalent liver disorders in Western countries, is characterized by hepatic accumulation of triglycerides. Bile acids have long been known to affect triglyceride homeostasis through a not completely understood mechanism.

Aim: To analyse the effects of two different manipulations of bile acid circulation on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Age-related changes in bile acid synthesis and hepatic nuclear receptor expression.

Background: Recent data highlighted the role of nuclear receptors in the transcriptional regulation of the limiting enzyme of bile acid synthesis, cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase, in cellular and animal models. This study was designed to analyze the effects of age on cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase and related nuclear receptor expression in human livers.

Design: Surgical liver biopsies were obtained in 23 patients requiring operation on the gastrointestinal tract.