Immunomodulation in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: exploring mechanisms and applications

Ziwei Guo; Qinjuan Wu; Pengfei Xie; Jiuchong Wang; Wenliang Lv

doi:10.3389/fimmu.2024.1336493

Immunomodulation in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: exploring mechanisms and applications

Front Immunol. 2024 Jan 30:15:1336493. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1336493. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Ziwei Guo¹, Qinjuan Wu¹, Pengfei Xie², Jiuchong Wang¹, Wenliang Lv¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Infection, Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
² Guang'anmen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.

Abstract

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) exhibits increased lipid enrichment in hepatocytes. The spectrum of this disease includes stages such as nonalcoholic simple fatty liver (NAFL), nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and liver fibrosis. Changes in lifestyle behaviors have been a major factor contributing to the increased cases of NAFLD patients globally. Therefore, it is imperative to explore the pathogenesis of NAFLD, identify therapeutic targets, and develop new strategies to improve the clinical management of the disease. Immunoregulation is a strategy through which the organism recognizes and eliminates antigenic foreign bodies to maintain physiological homeostasis. In this process, multiple factors, including immune cells, signaling molecules, and cytokines, play a role in governing the evolution of NAFLD. This review seeks to encapsulate the advancements in research regarding immune regulation in NAFLD, spanning from underlying mechanisms to practical applications.

Keywords: Kupffer cells; NASH; immune cells; immunoregulation; non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Cytokines
Hepatocytes / pathology
Humans
Immunomodulation
Liver Cirrhosis / pathology
Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease* / pathology

Substances

Cytokines

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This study received funding from the Science and Technology Innovation Project of the Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine under the title “Evaluation of the effectiveness and mechanism of the approach aimed at enhancing qi, resolving dampness, detoxifying, and promoting ligaments in the management of chronic liver diseases (CI2021A00801)”.