Interleukin-18 signaling promotes activation of hepatic stellate cells in mouse liver fibrosis.

Background And Aims: Nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor-family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation has been shown to result in liver fibrosis. Mechanisms and downstream signaling remain incompletely understood. Here, we studied the role of IL-18 in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), and its impact on liver fibrosis.

Shear wave elastography-based liver fibrosis assessment in patients with chronic hepatitis E displays elevated liver stiffness regardless of previous antiviral therapy.

Background: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection especially in immunocompromised individuals can lead to chronic hepatitis. Aggressive courses of chronic hepatitis E leading to liver cirrhosis in a short period of time have been described, but evidence on the degree of liver involvement in chronic hepatitis E is rare. We therefore aimed to quantify liver fibrosis in patients with chronic active hepatitis E compared to patients with sustained virological response after ribavirin (RBV) treatment using 2D-shear wave elastography (2D-SWE) to measure liver stiffness.

Bile Acids Activate NLRP3 Inflammasome, Promoting Murine Liver Inflammation or Fibrosis in a Cell Type-Specific Manner.

Bile acids (BA) as important signaling molecules are considered crucial in development of cholestatic liver injury, but there is limited understanding on the involved cell types and signaling pathways. The aim of this study was to evaluate the inflammatory and fibrotic potential of key BA and the role of distinct liver cell subsets focusing on the NLRP3 inflammasome. C57BL/6 wild-type (WT) and mice were fed with a diet supplemented with cholic (CA), deoxycholic (DCA) or lithocholic acid (LCA) for 7 days.

Shear Wave Elastography and Shear Wave Dispersion Imaging in the Assessment of Liver Disease in Alpha1-Antitrypsin Deficiency.

Liver affection of Alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) can lead to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A noninvasive severity assessment of liver disease in AATD is urgently needed since laboratory parameters may not accurately reflect the extent of liver involvement. Preliminary data exist on two-dimensional shear wave elastography (2D-SWE) being a suitable method for liver fibrosis measurement in AATD.

Novel Drivers of the Inflammatory Response in Liver Injury and Fibrosis.

Hepatocyte demise as well as signals released by stressed hepatocytes have been now recognized as important triggers of liver inflammation. While traditional concepts classically viewed hepatocyte cell death to occur by either a nonlytic, noninflammatory form (apoptosis), or lytic, proinflammatory nonregulated cell death (necrosis), recent studies have provided evidence for additional mechanisms that can contribute to both acute and chronic liver damage. Two novel forms of cell death, pyroptosis and necroptosis, are of particular importance as they are highly regulated and intrinsically proinflammatory.

NLR Family Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Inflammasome Activation in Hepatic Stellate Cells Induces Liver Fibrosis in Mice.

The NLR family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome plays an important role in liver fibrosis (LF) development. However, the mechanisms involved in NLRP3-induced fibrosis are unclear. Our aim was to test the hypothesis that the NLRP3 inflammasome in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) can directly regulate their activation and contribute to LF.

Oxidized linoleic acid metabolites induce liver mitochondrial dysfunction, apoptosis, and NLRP3 activation in mice.

Circulating oxidized linoleic acid (LA) metabolites (OXLAMs) are increased in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and their levels correlate with disease severity. However, the mechanisms by which OXLAMs contribute to NASH development are incompletely understood. We tested the hypothesis that LA or OXLAMs provided directly through the diet are involved in the development of hepatic injury.