Endotoxin Producers Overgrowing in Human Gut Microbiota as the Causative Agents for Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Abstract

Recent studies have reported a link between gut microbiota and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), showing that germfree (GF) mice do not develop metabolic syndromes, including NAFLD. However, the specific bacterial species causing NAFLD, as well as their molecular cross talk with the host for driving liver disease, remain elusive. Here, we found that nonvirulent endotoxin-producing strains of pathogenic species overgrowing in obese human gut can act as causative agents for induction of NAFLD and related metabolic disorders. The cross talk between endotoxin from these specific producers and the host’s TLR4 receptor is the most upstream and essential molecular event for inducing all phenotypes in NAFLD and related metabolic disorders. These nonvirulent endotoxin-producing strains of gut pathogenic species overgrowing in human gut may collectively become a predictive biomarker or serve as a novel therapeutic target for NAFLD and related metabolic disorders.