Meta-omic platforms to assist in the understanding of NAFLD gut microbiota alterations: tools and applications

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of chronicliver disease worldwide as a result of the increasing prevalence of obesity,starting from early life stages. It is characterized by a spectrum of liverdiseases ranging from simple fatty liver (NAFL) to steatohepatitis (NASH), with apossible progression to fibrosis, thus increasing liver-related morbidity andmortality. NAFLD development is driven by the co-action of several risk factors, including obesity and metabolic syndrome, which may be both genetically inducedand diet-related. Recently, particular attention has been paid to the gut-liveraxis, which may play a physio-pathological role in the onset and progression ofthe disease. The gut microbiota is intended to act as a bioreactor that canguarantee autonomous metabolic and immunological functions and that can drivefunctional strategies within the environment of the body in response to external stimuli. The complexity of the gut microbiota suggests that it behaves as anorgan. Therefore, the concept of the gut-liver axis must be complemented with thegut-microbiota-liver network due to the high intricacy of the microbiotacomponents and metabolic activities; these activities form the active diet-drivenpower plant of the host. Such complexity can only be revealed using systemsbiology, which can integrate clinical phenomics and gut microbiota data.