Enhanced expression of c-myc in hepatocytes promotes initiation and progression of alcoholic liver disease

Background & Aims: Alcohol exposure may result in the overexpression of certain oncogenes in human cells thereby increasing the intracellular concentration of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and, thus, triggering initiation and progression of alcoholic liver disease (ALD). We previously showed that prolonged c-myc expression in hepatocytes leads to spontaneous fibrogenesis and end-stage high-latency tumor development. In the present study, we hypothesized that c-myc overexpression might exert a crucial role in the development of ALD. Methods: Expression of c-myc was measured in biopsies of patients with ALD by qua…