社会学と犯罪学 - オープンアクセス
オープンアクセス

概要

Immunology of the Liver in the Pathogenesis of Fibrosis, Cirrhosis, Autoimmune Disease and Viral Hepatitis

Chaitrali Bakhale, Narendra Chirmule, Prashant Singh, Puneet Gandhi, Sitabja Mukherjee, Santosh Kar

Liver is a crucial organ involved in many immunological processes, including clearance of pathogens, tolerance to self-antigens and regulation of inflammation. It receives direct blood supply via the gut portal vein, which contains dietary antigens and metabolites from resident microbiome. However, these processes can be disrupted by various factors leading to liver diseases. In this review, we have summarized the recent developments in fibrosis, cirrhosis, autoimmune diseases and infectious diseases. Fibrosis and cirrhosis are characterized by the accumulation of scar tissue in the liver resulting from chronic inflammation and injury. The immune response to this injury involves the activation of hepatic stellate cells, immune cells and cytokines, leading to inflammatory processes and fibrosis. Autoimmune liver diseases, such as autoimmune hepatitis and primary biliary cirrhosis, result from dysregulated immune responses directed against liver cells. Infectious diseases such as hepatitis A, B, C, D and E also lead to chronic inflammation of liver diseases. Understanding the immunology of the liver is critical for the development of effective therapies. Current treatments focus on immune modulation and anti-inflammatory therapies. The advent of novel therapies such as cell and gene therapies, have unleashed the potential of targeting novel pathways in the pathogenesis of the liver. Future therapies may target specific immune pathways in the immune pathogenesis of the liver pathology.