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Autophagy and hepatic lipid metabolism: mechanistic insight and therapeutic potential for MASLD.

Sana RazaSangam RajakPaul M YenRohit A Sinha
Published in: NPJ metabolic health and disease (2024)
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) originates from a homeostatic imbalance in hepatic lipid metabolism. Increased fat deposition in the liver of people suffering from MASLD predisposes them to develop further metabolic derangements, including diabetes mellitus, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), and other end-stage liver diseases. Unfortunately, only limited pharmacological therapies exist for MASLD to date. Autophagy, a cellular catabolic process, has emerged as a primary mechanism of lipid metabolism in mammalian hepatocytes. Furthermore, preclinical studies with autophagy modulators have shown promising results in resolving MASLD and mitigating its progress into deleterious liver pathologies. In this review, we discuss our current understanding of autophagy-mediated hepatic lipid metabolism, its therapeutic modulation for MASLD treatment, and current limitations and scope for clinical translation.
Keyphrases
  • oxidative stress
  • cell death
  • endoplasmic reticulum stress
  • signaling pathway
  • fatty acid
  • adipose tissue
  • small molecule
  • type diabetes
  • stem cells
  • mesenchymal stem cells
  • weight loss
  • liver fibrosis