On the inflammatory processes in fatty liver disease

In our recent review article in the European journal of immunology, Mladenić and coworkers describe the cascade of inflammation that takes place in the development of obesity-induced steatohepatitis. We distinguish between three steps: an initial step of stress sensing, in which innate, tissue resident immune cells detect metabolic stress and start producing cytokines. 2. inflammation, in which pro-inflammatory cells, most;ly of the myeloid lineage get recruited into the liver and start producing large amounts of cytokines and 3. an escalation phase in which cells from the adaptive immune system get involved and induce a chronic, detrimental inflammatory environment. When left unchecked this inflammation can lead to fibrosis, cirrhosis and death. Considering that over 25% of the global adult population has fatty liver disease, this hepatic aspect of metabolic syndrome is expected to become one of the greatest health issues of the near future.

Read out article in full here: The “Domino effect” in MASLD: The inflammatory cascade of steatohepatitis