It is widely known that the liver is a central organ in lipogenesis, gluconeogenesis and cholesterol metabolism. However, over the last decades, a variety of pathological conditions highlighted the importance of metabolic functions within the diseased liver. As observed in Western societies, an increase in the prevalence of obesity and the metabolic syndrome promotes pathophysiological changes that cause non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD increases the susceptibility of the liver to acute liver injury and may lead to cirrhosis and hepatocellular cancer. Alterations in insulin response, β-oxidation, lipid storage and transport, autophagy and an imbalance in chemokines and nuclear receptor signaling are held accountable for these changes. Furthermore, recent studies revealed a role for lipid accumulation in inflammation and ER stress in the clinical context of liver regeneration and hepatic carcinogenesis. This review focuses on novel findings related to nuclear receptor signaling - including the vitamin D receptor and the liver receptor homolog 1 - in hepatic lipid and glucose uptake, storage and metabolism in the clinical context of NAFLD, liver regeneration, and cancer.

BA synthesis and serum BA levels correlated with disease severity in NAFLD, while adiponectin is reversely correlated. FFA exposure prevented SHP-mediated repression of NTCP and Cyp7A1 expression, which lead to increased BA synthesis and uptake. In NASH, BA accumulation induced hepatocyte cell death and late FXR activation failed to prevent hepatocyte injury due to decreased adiponectin levels. Early treatment with FXR ligands and/or adiponectin-receptor agonists might prevent NASH.

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Prophylactic use of LMWH in patients with cirrhosis appears to be safe. A decreased anti-Xa value in cirrhotic patients and a negative correlation with liver function challenge the unconditional use of anti-Xa assays in LMWH monitoring in cirrhotic patients and reveals a potential limitation of anti-Xa analysis in these patients. Low levels of AT, because of reduced hepatic synthesis, are the most likely cause of this phenomenon.

Acute liver failure (ALF) is associated with massive short-term cell death, whereas chronic liver injury is accompanied by continuous cell death. Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) contribute to tissue repair and liver fibrosis in chronic liver injury, although their role in ALF remains unexplained. Twenty-nine patients (median age 5 43 years, 17 females and 12 males) with ALF according to the Acute Liver Failure Study Group criteria were included. Upon the diagnosis of ALF and after 7 days, we determined liver stiffness (LS) with FibroScan, standard laboratory parameters, and serum levels of matrix metalloproteinase 1 (MMP-1), MMP-2, MMP-9, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 1 (TIMP-1), TIMP-2, hyaluronic acid, and markers of overall cell death (M65) and apoptosis (M30). Stellate cell activation and progenitor response were analyzed immunohistochemically in biopsy samples of 12 patients with a-smooth muscle actin (a-SMA), keratin-17, and keratin-19 staining, respectively. Cell death markers (M30 level 5 2243 6 559.6 U/L, M65 level 5 3732 6 839.9 U/L) and fibrosis markers (TIMP-1 level 5 629.9 6 69.4 U/mL, MMP-2 level 5 264 6 32.5 U/mL, hyaluronic acid level 5 438.5 6 69.3 lg/mL) were significantly increased in patients versus healthy controls. This was paralleled by collagen deposition, elevated a-SMA expression, and higher LS (25.6 6 3.0 kPa). ALF was associated with ductular progenitor proliferation. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate HSC activation and a progenitor response in ALF. Positive correlations between LS, the degree of liver cell damage, and the intensity of HSC activation suggest that fibrosis is a response to ALF in an attempt to repair damaged tissue. (HEPATOLOGY 2010;52:1008-1016 A cute liver failure (ALF) is a devastating clinical syndrome associated with high mortality in the absence of immediate state-of-the-art intensive care or liver transplantation. 1 ALF can occur as a result of various etiologies (overdosing with acetaminophen or other drugs, viral hepatitis, ischemia, and other causes 1 ); in approximately 15% of adult cases and 50% of pediatric cases, the reason is unidentified. 2