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Updated: Jul 18, 2026

Human Liver Microphysiological System for Assessing Drug-Induced Liver Toxicity In Vitro
11:06

Human Liver Microphysiological System for Assessing Drug-Induced Liver Toxicity In Vitro

Published on: January 31, 2022

Cytokines as potential biomarkers of liver toxicity

Sandrine Lacour1, Jean-Charles Gautier, Marc Pallardy

  • 1Aventis Pharma Drug Safety Evaluation, Centre de Recherche de Paris, 13 Quai Jules Guesde 94403, Vitry sur Seine, Paris, France. sandrine.lacour@aventis.com

Cancer Biomarkers : Section a of Disease Markers
|December 29, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Drug-induced liver injury can cause cell death, but immune system cytokines like tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) may offer predictive biomarkers. These molecular mediators could help identify idiosyncratic liver toxicity not seen in pre-clinical studies.

Area of Science:

  • Hepatotoxicity and immunology
  • Drug-induced liver injury (DILI)
  • Molecular mechanisms of liver damage

Background:

  • Some drug classes cause liver toxicity not predicted by pre-clinical models.
  • Hepatotoxicity involves parenchymal cell death via necrosis and apoptosis.
  • Immune response mediators, including cytokines, are implicated in liver damage.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the role of cytokines in drug-induced liver injury (DILI).
  • To explore cytokine profiles as potential biomarkers for idiosyncratic human liver toxicity.
  • To investigate why rodent models may not predict human hepatotoxicity.

Main Methods:

  • Review of recent scientific data on drug-induced liver injury.
  • Analysis of the role of cytokines (TNFα, IL-1β, IL-6) in mediating hepatic response to xenobiotics.
  • Comparison of rodent and human hepatocyte responses to cytokines.

Main Results:

  • Pro-inflammatory cytokines are released during toxic liver injury.
  • Cytokine networks mediate hepatic responses to various xenobiotics.
  • Differences in cytokine response between rodent and human hepatocytes may explain unpredicted clinical toxicities.

Conclusions:

  • Cytokine fingerprints could serve as biomarkers for idiosyncratic liver toxicity.
  • Understanding cytokine roles may improve prediction of drug-induced liver injury.
  • Further research into cytokine changes in rodent models may reveal human toxicity mechanisms.

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