Abstract

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a poorly understood complex disorder that occurs at a high frequency in Western populations with unhealthy dietary and lifestyle habits. Systems biology tools may provide further insight into the multidimensional nature of NAFLD. A dynamic semiquantitative model of the metabolic and signaling pathways suggested to be important in the pathogenesis of NAFLD has been generated using an object-oriented library of components based on differential equations. Initial model validation procedures to draw a comparison between experimental data and model simulations has suggested a close correlation between experimental models and the in silico network. Furthermore, the stiffness of multisubstrate reactions indicates the presence of a balance between pathway fluxes within the network. The model aims to identify novel mechanisms of NAFLD pathogenesis and regulatory components, thus providing a basis for experimental hypotheses.