Autonomic and neurotrophic signaling in alcohol-associated liver disease

Abstract

Alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) is a leading cause of liver-related morbidity and mortality, yet its pathogenesis remains incompletely understood. While neural regulation is critical for hepatic homeostasis, how autonomic and neurotrophic signaling is regulated in the liver during ALD progression remains largely unexplored. Here, we performed an integrative analysis of bulk and single-cell transcriptomic datasets of human livers across the spectrum of ALD. We identified stage-dependent remodeling and coordinated expression patterns of autonomic and neurotrophic genes. Autonomic signaling exhibited a consistent decline, with reduced expression of sympathetic (DBH, TH) and the parasympathetic (ChAT) markers. In contrast, pan-neuronal and neuroplasticity-associated genes (UCHL1, TUBB3, STMN2) were upregulated, indicating active neural remodeling. In parallel, factors such as MANF, GDNF, and NRG2, with the receptor NTRK1, were upregulated and positively correlated with clinical indicators of disease severity, inflammation and fibrosis. In contrast, trophic factors including NTF3 and CDNF, and receptors such as GFRA1 and GFRA3, were downregulated and inversely associated with these parameters. Single-cell analyses revealed that neurotrophic factors are predominantly expressed by hepatic stellate cells, supporting their role as resident neuroglia-like cells in the liver. In another independent cohort, we observed a coordinated downregulation of NTF3 and sympathetic nerve markers in alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH), suggesting impaired NTF3-mediated neurotrophic support may contribute to sympathetic dysfunction in AH. Collectively, these findings uncover previously unrecognized neuro-regulatory dimensions in ALD and suggest that dysregulated autonomic and neurotrophic signaling may contribute to disease progression. Conflict of interestThe authors have declared that no conflict of interest exists.