Metabolism of carbohydrates and lipids and protein degradation occurs in the liver and contributes to the body's homeostasis by secreting a variety of mediators. Any imbalance in this homeostasis due to excess fat consumption and the pathologic events accompanying lipotoxicity, autophagy dysregulation, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and insulin resistance may cause disturbances in the secretion of the proteins from the liver and their physiologic modifications and interactions with others. Since the liver secretome plays a role in the regulation of fuel metabolism and inflammation not only in the liver per se but also in other organs, the proteins belong to the utmost targets for treating metabolic and inflammatory diseases (e.g., COVID-19), depending on the available and feasible approaches to controlling their biological effects. However, in this era, we still come across new liver-derived proteins but are yet unable to entirely understand the pathologic basis underlying disease progression. This review aims to provide an updated overview of liver secretome biology with explanatory mechanisms with regard to the progression of metabolic and inflammatory liver diseases.
Keywords: Autophagy; COVID-19; ER stress; Hepatokines; Liver disorders.
© 2022. The Pharmaceutical Society of Korea.