Molecular Mechanism of Beneficial Effects of Probiotics in Alcohol-Induced Liver Disorder

Regular consumption of alcohol remains a predominant cause of a variety of hepatic disorders. There exist many alcohol-induced liver diseases including steatosis, steatohepatitis, and cirrhosis. Microflora of the gut has been considered as important in the pathophysiology of different disorders and long-term alcohol consumption significantly disrupts the intestinal flora composition and gut microbiota in liver disorders. Recent research studies have shown that probiotics significantly modulate the gut microbiota as well as ameliorate alcohol consumption-induced intestinal barrier dysfunction. Thus, targeting the gut–liver axis may be beneficial in the above-mentioned disorders. Interestingly, the investigations on the use of probiotics in alcohol-induced liver diseases are gaining more clinical importance. It has been shown that probiotics bring about an improvement in the responses of the immune system and significantly bring down the generation of free radicals induced by alcohol. Further, they reduce the inflammatory cytokines in the liver and intestine. Besides, studies have shown that the use of probiotics significantly increases fatty acid β-oxidation and decreases lipogenesis which is beneficial in the management of hepatic steatosis induced by alcohol. The current book chapter will focus on the use of probiotic species in preventing and treating alcohol-induced liver disorders along with the underlying potential mechanism of action.