FIGURE 8.

Lipotoxicity model in the context of lipid overloading of the liver. Hepatic steatosis, characteristic of patients with NAFLD, which is commonly associated with obesity and insulin resistance, results mainly from increased flow of free fatty acids from circulation. In this context, lipid compartmentation in liver cells and, in particular, the ratio of monounsaturated to saturated free fatty acids that is a function of SCD1 activity, play a central role in whether adaptation occurs, resulting in a benign clinical course, or there is ongoing hepatocellular apoptosis, and liver damage resulting in steatohepatitis and fibrosis development.