Chronic liver diseases (CLDs), which are typically characterized by fibrogenic progression towards liver cirrhosis and related complications eventually leading to organ failure and can also lead to the development of primary liver cancers, represent a major burden for human health on a worldwide basis. Although the present knowledge on the pathogenesis of CLDs progression and primary liver cancers development has remarkably increased in the last decades, critical molecular mediators remain incompletely understood, and approved antifibrotic therapies to efficiently counteract CLDs progression and liver cancer are lacking. In the present review, this study will specifically analyse the putative contribution of SERPINB3, a member of the superfamily of serine-protease inhibitors (SERPINs), which has been shown to exert significant pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrogenic roles in progressive CLDs as well as to be involved in the development of primary liver cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), cholangiocarcinoma, and hepatoblastoma.

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Hunting for tumoral material in body fluids, traditionally in blood, the so-called liquid biopsy is set to revolutionize the diagnosis and management of oncological patients. However, other biofluids can also be considered as alternative sources of biomarkers to provide clinically valuable information for multiple diseases. This is the case of bile, a fluid produced in the liver, stored in the gallbladder, and excreted to the duodenum, which complex composition is known to change in different pathological conditions. Remarkably, different works have demonstrated that the identification of mutations in bile cell-free DNA (cfDNA) can outperform blood analysis for the early diagnosis of biliopancreatic tumors causing biliary strictures. Here, the literature in which bile has been tested as a liquid biopsy matrix where lipids, metabolites, proteins, and cfDNA among other analytes were measured is reviewed. Moreover, the clinical situations and procedures where bile can be available, discussing the possible applications and limitations of bile analysis are summarized. The scientific relevance and clinical potential of bile harvesting, biobanking, and analysis are put forward. All this evidence supports the value of bile as a liquid biopsy matrix for the management of patients beyond cancer, and perhaps also beyond “blood, sweat, and tears”.

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Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) poses a complex and heterogeneous clinical challenge, which often resembles non-drug related acute or chronic liver diseases, such as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). Furthermore, certain drugs can induce hepatic steatosis, which is considered a rare variant of hepatotoxicity. Additionally, the detection and diagnosis of DILI in patients with non-alcoholic liver disease present additional challenges that require attention. The importance of achieving an accurate diagnosis is highlighted by the different therapeutic approaches needed for each of these diseases. Nonetheless, as definitive diagnostic tests and distinct biomarkers often remain elusive, the differential diagnosis must rely on a combination of clinical, biochemical, histological, and immunophenotypic profiling. The diagnosis of hepatotoxicity is predicated upon the temporal nexus between the administration of a potentially hepatotoxic drug and the onset of hepatic injury, concomitantly excluding alternative hepatic pathologies. More frequently, this condition presents an acute course, with a more pronounced elevation of cytolytic and cholestatic parameters as compared to fatty liver disease. Advances in elucidating the underlying mechanisms hold promise for bolstering the diagnosis and management of these conditions. This article aims to thoroughly examine and emphasize the currently available scientific evidence to provide valuable insights into the diagnostic strategies for DILI, metabolic-associated liver disease, and drug-induced steatosis (DIS).

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Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is one of the most common chronic liver diseases. Over time, there has been a significant increase in the prevalence of MASLD. It has become one of the leading causes of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the United States, France, and the United Kingdom. Globally, the incidence of HCC related to MASLD may further increase with the growing prevalence of obesity. Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is an important stage of MASLD, which is more likely to cause cirrhosis and even HCC. And patients with NASH cirrhosis have a much higher incidence of hepatocellular cancer than patients with non-cirrhotic MASLD. As a result, it is critical to investigate the targets of MASLD therapy in HCC. This article reviews therapeutic targets of MASLD, such as farnesoid X receptor (FXR), peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPAR), fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF-21), etc., and introduces the drugs related to these targets and their mechanisms of action in HCC. In addition, the developmental process and pathogenesis of MASLD, as well as risk factors for HCC development, are discussed. These are of great significance for the prevention and treatment of HCC.

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Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the leading chronic liver disease worldwide, with a progressive form of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). It may progress to advanced liver diseases, including liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. NAFLD/NASH is a comorbidity of many metabolic disorders such as obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and chronic kidney disease. These metabolic diseases are often accompanied by systemic or extrahepatic inflammation, which plays an important role in the pathogenesis and treatment of NAFLD or NASH. Metabolites, such as short-chain fatty acids, impact the function, inflammation, and death of hepatocytes, the primary parenchymal cells in the liver tissue. Cholangiocytes, the epithelial cells that line the bile ducts, can differentiate into proliferative hepatocytes in chronic liver injury. In addition, hepatic non-parenchymal cells, including liver sinusoidal endothelial cells, hepatic stellate cells, and innate and adaptive immune cells, are involved in liver inflammation. Proteins such as fibroblast growth factors, acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylases, and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 are involved in liver metabolism and inflammation, which are potential targets for NASH treatment. This review focuses on the effects of metabolic disease-induced extrahepatic inflammation, liver inflammation, and the cellular and molecular mechanisms of liver metabolism on the development and progression of NAFLD and NASH, as well as the associated treatments.

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The pathogenesis of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is particularly complicated as both intrinsic and extrinsic factors are implicated. Several forms of cellular death, both programmable and non-programmable, operate leading biliary epithelial cells (BECs) to elimination. The precise role of critical pathways like autophagy, apoptosis, senescence, and their interplay has not been fully clarified. Therefore, in this review, data on these important mechanisms are presented and their implication in PBC is discussed. The interplay of the three mechanisms is examined and the factors that drive them are analyzed. Moreover, the upstream drivers of autophagy, apoptosis, and senescence are presented. They include the loss of the protective bicarbonate umbrella in BECs due to the reduction of activity of the anion exchanger 2 (AE2) with the resultant activation of the intracellular soluble adenylyl cyclase (sAC). The role of toxic bile acids is also presented. A sequence of events is proposed including involvement of the gut-liver axis and the possible role of ferroptosis. Finally, a brief account of the initial trigger of the disease is given.

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Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is an adverse reaction to drugs and other xenobiotics that can have serious consequences and jeopardise progress in pharmacological therapy. While DILI is predominantly hepatocellular, a non-negligible percentage of patients who present with cholestatic damage. Mixed damage is typically lumped together with cholestatic damage in the literature. Drug-induced cholestasis is often caused by the use of some non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), antibiotics (i.e., amoxicillin-clavulanic acid), statins, and anabolic agents, among others. Drug-associated cholestasis tends to have a more chronic course and mostly affects older population. There is also a genetic predisposition to toxic cholestasis caused by some drugs (amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, statins, etc.). Recently, anatomical alterations of the biliary tract induced by drugs (especially immunotherapy drugs) have been described. Bile duct injury is one of the histopathological findings that have prognostic significance in DILI. A correct differential diagnosis with other causes of cholestasis is mandatory to reach an accurate diagnosis. Ursodexycholic acid, corticosteroids, and replacement therapies have been used as a therapeutic arsenal, although more evidence is needed to establish them as a routine therapeutic management in clinical practice. The breakthrough and validation of biomarkers of cholestasis and bile duct injury is an urgent need for drug development and post-marketing phase.

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Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an umbrella definition that describes the ectopic deposition of fat within the liver that occurs in the absence of inciting factors other than the metabolic syndrome and its individual features. NAFLD has a multi-factorial pathogenesis which determines heterogeneous clinical phenotypes and variable natural course spanning from liver-related (steatohepatitis, fibrosis, cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma) to extrahepatic outcomes (cardio-metabolic and cancer). This narrative review article leverages the key aspects of disease natural history as the background information to discuss studies that may inform strategies to risk-stratify NAFLD patients. Evaluation of hepatic fibrosis with non-invasive tools, including blood-based biomarkers and imaging-based elastometry techniques, seemingly retains the core information useful to predict the heterogeneous outcomes listed above. Additionally, genetic testing and metabolomic profiles may also be utilized to this end. In conclusion, a comprehensive understanding of the variable hepatic, cardio-metabolic and cancer outcomes of NAFLD may enable physicians and researchers to risk-stratify and accurately identify the multilayered prognosis of NAFLD individuals while also defining homogeneous patient subsets to enroll in clinical trials.

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Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), previously known as primary biliary cirrhosis, is a rare chronic autoimmune cholestatic liver disease, affecting mostly females. With PBС develops chronic cholangiopathy, this is accompanied by the development of gradually progressive liver fibrosis, which leads to intrahepatic cholestasis. Defects in autoimmune tolerance are critical factors in the emergence of the disease. Biochemical signs in PBС appear already in the asymptomatic stage of the disease and they are associated with a disturbance of the secretion of bile acids. Understanding the pathophysiological mechanisms of these signs is essential to both the early diagnosis and treatment of PBC. Early diagnosis of the disease contributes to its more effective treatment. There are many scientifically based modern data on the pathophysiology of clinical and laboratory signs developing in PBС. The purpose of this review is to summarize the data available in the literature and those obtained by the authors on the mechanisms for the development of biochemical criteria for PBC and their diagnostic significance. The opportunity to present the pathophysiological mechanisms of the development of biochemical signs in patients with PBC is associated with the success in the development of modern research methods in biochemistry, molecular biology, and genetics.

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A high consumption of ultra-processed food (UPF) is a hallmark of Western diets that has been related to increased risk of non-communicable diseases. As an underlying mechanism, UPF may promote non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) which is a key driver of metabolic impairment with extra-hepatic manifestations like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, and osteoporosis among others. The present review provides an overview of UPF properties that may promote NAFLD and are thus potential targets for reformulation of UPF. Such approaches should address improvements in the quality of carbohydrates and fat, changes in food texture that lower eating rate as well as ingredients that prevent excess caloric intake or avoid dysbiosis and leaky gut syndrome. Promising strategies are enrichment with fiber, prebiotics, phytochemicals, and protein with a concurrent reduction in glycemic load, energy density, saturated fatty acids (FA; SFA), emulsifiers, fructose, and non-caloric sweeteners. Future studies are needed to examine the interactive and protective effects of such modifications in the composition of UPF on prevention and treatment of NAFLD.

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Excessive alcohol intake is still among the leading causes of chronic liver diseases. Epidemiological studies suggest that per capita consumption of alcohol from various alcohol beverages e.g., beer, wine, or spirits, differs markedly between different areas of the world. Studies further suggest that different alcoholic beverages may impact the development of alcohol-related liver diseases (ALD) differentially. Specifically, results of several more recent epidemiological studies suggest that consumption of wine and herein especially of red wine may be less harmful in relation to the development of liver diseases than the intake of hard spirits. Results of studies evaluating the effects of beer on the development of ALD in humans are rather contradictory. Here, results of studies assessing the impact of wine, beer, and spirits on the development of ALD as well as possible underlying mechanisms are summarized and discussed.

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The pathogenesis of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is still in an early stage of research. However, investigators have shown that both oxidative stress and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress play a significant role in the pathological mechanism. However, there is little in-depth literature about these two mechanisms. In order to prevent and improve the clinical symptoms of DILI, it is particularly important to study its pathogenesis. In this review article, the role of ER and oxidative stress in DILI is thoroughly discussed.

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The word “Kampo medicine” means the traditional Japanese herbal medicine. Even “natural herb” can cause drug-induced liver injury (DILI). In this review, the characteristics of Kampo medicine-induced liver injury (KMILI) are reported. The main causative herb involved in Kampo medicine is Scutellariae Radix. KMILI is based on certain hypersensitivity reactions. A small amount of Kampo medicine can cause liver injury, and KMILI can develop after a short latency period. The incidence of liver injury related to Scutellariae Radix is about 1%. KMILI is usually mild and not fatal. The latency period usually lasts 4 weeks to 24 weeks. Fatigue and loss of appetite are sometimes observed. Eosinophilia is not frequently observed. All three types of liver injuries are observed in KMILI: cholestatic, hepatocellular, and mixed types. In Japan, lymphocyte transformation test (LTT) has been generally used for the diagnosis of DILI; however, LTT is likely to yield false-positive result for Kampo medicines, and thus often leads to misdiagnosis in many cases. Recently, researchers reported that a specific human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genotype is possibly associated with KMILI. This hypothesis needs to be examined further. Although Kampo medicine is based on rich knowledge and experience that occurred over a period of thousands of years, much is still unknown about KMILI.

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