IL-22 ameliorats steatosis and hepatocellular damage via the activation of STAT3 in hepatocytes during early alcoholic liver injury; and activation of STAT3 subsequently leads to the upregulation of anti-oxidative (related to MT-1 and MT-2 gene), anti-apoptotic (related to Bcl-2, Bcl-xL and Mcl-1 gene) and anti-bacterial genes (related to lipocalin 2 gene) (Figure 2). This evidence concerns the gene STAT3 and steatosis.