Researchers at the University of Kentucky General Clinical Research Center are studying the reasons why some individuals who consume excessive alcohol develop potentially fatal liver damage. In clinical studies, scientists are uncovering the actions of cytokines in many diseases. Cytokines are compounds that resemble hormones, and normally foster communication between cells. The white blood cells of patients with severe liver disease appear to use similar processes on liver cells, such that the body injures its own liver. Researchers have found that elimination of alcohol consumption does not immediately stop the process.
Liver damage can continue for months, but as patients improve, the cytokine levels decrease.
In the future, we may learn how to regulate the production of cytokines by the body so that the beneficial effects are maintained, but the extremely high levels that become detrimental to the body can be controlled. Antioxidants have been used to control cytokine production in the test tube, but many more studies are needed to determine if antioxidants, such as vitamin E, are safe and useful to treat patients with alcoholic liver disease.