Insulin resistance

Insulin resistance is closely associated with fat accumulation in liver. Thus, it has been suggested that insulin resistance is one of the important factor in development of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis(NASH). For example, insulin resistance in adipocyte results in increased lipolysis and delivery of free fatty acids(FFAs) to the liver, which induce fatty liver. If there is insulin resistance in skeletal muscle, hyperinsulinemia and/or hyperglycemia might increase fat accumulation in liver, through, at least in part, increased sterol-regulatory element binding protein-1c(SREBP-1c) activation. However, hepatic insulin resistance might prevent fat accumulation in liver, because insulin strongly induces lipogenesis. Thus, the tissue specific insulin resistance should be considered in the pathogenesis of NASH.