Playing Jekyll and Hyde—The Dual Role of Lipids in Fatty Liver Disease

Cells

J. Bernd Helms¹  Martijn R. Molenaar¹  Louis C. Penning² 

[1] Department of Biomolecular Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, 3584 CM, Utrecht, The Netherlands;Department of Clinical Sciences of Companion Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, 3584 CM, Utrecht, The Netherlands;

关键词: lipid droplets;    lipid metabolism;    hepatocytes;    hepatic stellate cells;    non-alcoholic fatty liver disease;    DGAT2;   

DOI  :  10.3390/cells9102244

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Lipids play Jekyll and Hyde in the liver. On the one hand, the lipid-laden status of hepatic stellate cells is a hallmark of healthy liver. On the other hand, the opposite is true for lipid-laden hepatocytes—they obstruct liver function. Neglected lipid accumulation in hepatocytes can progress into hepatic fibrosis, a condition induced by the activation of stellate cells. In their resting state, these cells store substantial quantities of fat-soluble vitamin A (retinyl esters) in large lipid droplets. During activation, these lipid organelles are gradually degraded. Hence, treatment of fatty liver disease is treading a tightrope—unsophisticated targeting of hepatic lipid accumulation might trigger problematic side effects on stellate cells. Therefore, it is of great importance to gain more insight into the highly dynamic lipid metabolism of hepatocytes and stellate cells in both quiescent and activated states. In this review, part of the special issue entitled “Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms underlying the Pathogenesis of Hepatic Fibrosis 2020”, we discuss current and highly versatile aspects of neutral lipid metabolism in the pathogenesis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

【 授权许可】

Unknown