Mathilde Mouchiroud
PhD student at the Quebec Heart and Lung Institute Research Centre
Université Laval
Award-winning publication: The hepatokine Tsukushi is released in response to NAFLD and impacts cholesterol homeostasis
Published in: JCI Insight
Abstract
Obesity has become a global epidemic, especially since it is linked to a number of pathologies including type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia and cardiovascular disease. In addition, persons who are obese suffer from a pathology known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is associated with several complications such as dyslipidemia and atherosclerosis. The mechanisms by which NAFLD bring about atherogenic dyslipidemia leading to heart disease remain unknown. However, the data gathered by Mathilde Mouchiroud identify the hepatokine Tsukushi as a new possible link between hepatic metabolism dysfunction, cholesterol metabolism disturbance and the development of cardiovascular disease—one of the leading causes of death among obese patients.