Publications by authors named "Faridodin Mirshahi"
Article Synopsis
- Bile acids, particularly the deoxycholate (DCA), play a significant role in the worsening of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) and their levels increase with disease severity and fibrosis.
- A detailed study involving various microbiome analyses found that certain bile acids derived from DCA were linked to increased disease activity, suggesting a biological mechanism underlying these changes.
- The findings highlight the importance of bile acids and related gut microbiota in NAFLD progression, paving the way for potential biomarkers and therapeutic approaches for conditions like Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH).
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is becoming a major etiological risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the United States and other Western countries. In this study, we investigated the role of gene-specific promoter cytosine DNA methylation and gene expression alterations in the development of NAFLD-associated HCC in mice using (1) a diet-induced animal model of NAFLD, (2) a Stelic Animal Model of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis-derived HCC, and (3) a choline- and folate-deficient (CFD) diet (CFD model). We found that the development of NAFLD and its progression to HCC was characterized by down-regulation of glycine N-methyltransferase (Gnmt) and this was mediated by progressive Gnmt promoter cytosine DNA hypermethylation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Aims: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) develops from a complex process, which includes changes in the liver methylome. Betaine plays a pivotal role in the regulation of methylogenesis. We performed a two-stage case-control study, which included patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD to explore circulating levels of betaine and its association with the histological spectrum.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: We used a screening strategy of global serum microRNA (miRNA) profiling, followed by a second stage of independent replication and exploration of liver expression of selected miRNAs to study: (1) the circulating miRNA signature associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) progression and predictive power, (2) the role of miRNAs in disease biology and (3) the association between circulating miRNAs and features of the metabolic syndrome.
Methods: The study used a case-control design and included patients with NAFLD proven through biopsy and healthy controls.
Results: Among 84 circulating miRNAs analysed, miR-122, miR-192, miR-19a and miR-19b, miR-125b, and miR-375 were upregulated >2-fold (p<0.