Autophagy modulates physiologic and adaptive response in the liver.

Area of Science:

• Cellular Biology
• Hepatology
• Physiology

Background:

• Autophagy is a fundamental cellular process for degrading and recycling damaged components, crucial for maintaining cellular and organ homeostasis.
• The liver's complex functions are increasingly understood to be regulated by autophagy in both normal physiology and disease states.
• Understanding autophagy's role is critical for addressing a wide range of liver pathologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the multifaceted roles of autophagy in liver epithelial and non-epithelial cells.
• To examine autophagy's involvement in hepatic homeostasis and its differential participation in various liver diseases.
• To summarize current autophagy-based interventional studies for liver diseases.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of autophagy's function in liver physiology and pathology.
• Analysis of autophagy's role in specific liver conditions including cholestasis, sepsis, NAFLD, AFLD, viral hepatitis, fibrosis, and cancers.
• Compilation of data from registered clinical trials investigating autophagy-based interventions for liver diseases.

Main Results:

• Autophagy plays distinct roles in liver cell-specific functions and contributes differentially to hepatic homeostasis and injury responses.
• The process is implicated in the pathogenesis and progression of numerous liver diseases, from metabolic disorders to cancers.
• Clinical trials are exploring autophagy modulation as a therapeutic strategy for liver diseases.

Conclusions:

• Autophagy is a critical regulator of liver function, impacting homeostasis and disease.
• Context-dependent and cell-specific understanding of liver autophagy is essential for targeted therapeutic development.
• Further research into liver cell-specific autophagy mechanisms is necessary to refine therapeutic strategies for liver diseases.