Wine: Risk factors for liver disease and antifibrotic compounds

Wine can be considered an integral part of the Mediterranean diet and moder ate alcohol intake can be beneficial for health. This health-promoting effe ct is presumably due to the presence of antioxidant substances. it is also known that excessive alcohol intake can lead to liver cirrhosis. A main pat hogenetic mechanism in fiver cirrhosis is the activation of hepatic stellat e cells which acquire a myofibroblast-like phenotype. Excessive production of oxidative stress products may initiate the activation process. Phenolic compounds contained in red wine have been shown to have antifibrotic proper ties on activated hepatic stellate cells. In vitro and in vivo studies are needed for a better evaluation of the clinical relevance of these findings.