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Benzyl alcohol limits acute liver injury

Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology volume 11, page 396 (2014)Cite this article

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Paracetamol (acetaminophen) overdose is one of the most common causes of acute liver injury worldwide. Treatment options are currently limited to N-acetylcysteine administration or liver transplantation, but a study published in Hepatology has identified benzyl alcohol as a potential new therapy. The study demonstrated that mice receiving paracetamol with benzyl alcohol had considerably less liver injury than the control group receiving paracetamol alone.

Paracetamol overdose results in activation of innate immune signalling pathways, leading to increased inflammatory cytokine and chemokine production and cellular injury. Mice treated with benzyl alcohol had reduced levels of cytokines and chemokines compared with controls.

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References

  1. Cai, C. et al. Benzyl alcohol attenuates acetaminophen-induced acute liver injury in a toll-like receptor-4 dependent pattern in mice. Hepatology 10.1002/hep.27201

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Authors
  1. Gillian Patman
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Cite this article

Patman, G. Benzyl alcohol limits acute liver injury. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 11, 396 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2014.77

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2014.77

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