Figure 2.

Liver steatosis induced by down-regulation of adiponectin and its receptor in chronic hepatitis C virus infection. HCV core protein associated with the mitochondria leads to increased ROS that activates NF-κB. As a consequence of NF-κB activation, expression of a variety of cytokines is increased, including TNF-α, IL-6 and INF-γ. TNF-α modulates adipocytes and induces reduction in the production of adiponectin and its receptor. Reduced levels of adiponectin induce the increase in the synthesis of free fatty acids and reduce β-oxidation, causing liver steatosis in the HCV chronic infected patients. HCV: Hepatitis C virus; NF-κB: Nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells; IL: Interleukin; IFN-γ: Interferon-γ; TNF-α: Tumour necrosis factor α; ROS: Reactive oxygen species.