Abstract
Autophagy is a catabolic process by which eukaryotic cells eliminate cytosolic materials through vacuole-mediated sequestration and subsequent delivery to lysosomes for degradation, thus maintaining cellular homeostasis and the integrity of organelles. Autophagy has emerged as playing a critical role in the regulation of liver physiology and the balancing of liver metabolism. Conversely, numerous recent studies have indicated that autophagy may disease-dependently participate in the pathogenesis of liver diseases, such as liver hepatitis, steatosis, fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the functions of autophagy in hepatic metabolism and the contribution of autophagy to the pathophysiology of liver-related diseases. Moreover, the impacts of autophagy modulation on the amelioration of the development and progression of liver diseases are also discussed.
Highlights
Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved process that catabolizes intracellular components through lysosomes to recycle nutrients for supplying energy and regenerating organelles [1,2]
Autophagy has been indicated as a disease-associated factor that is modulated in the liver cells of people with liver-related diseases, and it contributes to the development and progression of various liver diseases, including hepatitis, steatosis, fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma [7,10,11,12]
Autophagy plays a critical role in the maintenance of cellular homeostasis and the elimination of unwanted intracellular materials, such as proteins and organelles, in liver physiology
Summary
Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved process that catabolizes intracellular components through lysosomes to recycle nutrients for supplying energy and regenerating organelles [1,2]. In the past few decades, the homeostatic role of autophagy has emerged in the regulation of liver physiology through promoting the degradations of macromolecules and organelles to support the balance of energy as well as the metabolism and regeneration of organelles [7,8,9]. Autophagy protects liver cells against injury and cell death by eliminating the damaged organelles and proteins that are introduced in those with liver-associated diseases. We summarize the current knowledge on the functional role of autophagy in liver physiology and address how autophagy is regulated by liver-associated diseases to become involved in the prevention or promotion of disease occurrence and pathogenesis
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