Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a major public health problem with comorbidities including obesity and dyslipidemia. Although the manifestations of NAFLD range from simple steatosis to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, these may potentially give rise to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the mechanisms underlying NAFLD, and the factors that determine the individual risk of disease progression, remain poorly known. The most obvious clinicopathological characteristic of NAFLD is hepatic lipid accumulation and subsequent inflammation. In hepatocytes, the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a critical site of protein synthesis, detoxification, lipid and glucose metabolism, and Ca2+ homeostasis; the ER is involved in NAFLD pathogenesis. Hepatic accumulation of lipids stresses the ER; this activates the unfolded protein response (UPR), which is classically viewed as an adaptive pathway that maintains ER homeostasis. Recent studies have revealed that UPR sensors regulate hepatic steatosis and the cellular response to lipotoxic stress. Therefore, the basic mechanisms of ER stress and UPR induction are of great interest for understanding the pathogenesis of NAFLD. The present review focuses on the roles played by ER stress and the UPR in NAFLD pathogenesis.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a major public health problem with comorbidities including obesity and dyslipidemia. Although the manifestations of NAFLD range from simple steatosis to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, these may potentially give rise to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the mechanisms underlying NAFLD, and the factors that determine the individual risk of disease progression, remain poorly known. The most obvious clinicopathological characteristic of NAFLD is hepatic lipid accumulation and subsequent inflammation. In hepatocytes, the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a critical site of protein synthesis, detoxification, lipid and glucose metabolism, and Ca2+ homeostasis; the ER is involved in NAFLD pathogenesis. Hepatic accumulation of lipids stresses the ER; this activates the unfolded protein response (UPR), which is classically viewed as an adaptive pathway that maintains ER homeostasis. Recent studies have revealed that UPR sensors regulate hepatic steatosis and the cellular response to lipotoxic stress. Therefore, the basic mechanisms of ER stress and UPR induction are of great interest for understanding the pathogenesis of NAFLD. The present review focuses on the roles played by ER stress and the UPR in NAFLD pathogenesis.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide. The only curative treatment modalities for HCC are surgery, percutaneous ablation, and liver transplantation. Unfortunately, the majority of patients have unresectable disease at diagnosis. Therefore, effective treatment options are needed for patients with advanced HCC. The current standard treatment for patients with advanced HCC, according to the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer staging system, is the multikinase inhibitor sorafenib. Other alternative therapies are required, due to the limited treatment response to, and tolerance of, this molecular target agent. Clinical trials of hepatic artery infusion chemotherapy, radioembolization, and multimodal treatments have shown favorable results in advanced HCC patients. This article introduces new treatment modalities for advanced HCC and discusses future therapeutic possibilities.
Antineoplastic Agents/administration & dosage/*therapeutic use ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/enzymology/pathology/*therapy ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Embolization, Therapeutic/*methods ; Hepatic Artery ; Humans ; Infusions, Intra-Arterial ; Liver Neoplasms/enzymology/pathology/*therapy ; Molecular Targeted Therapy ; Niacinamide/analogs & derivatives/therapeutic use ; Phenylurea Compounds/therapeutic use ; Protein Kinase Inhibitors/therapeutic use ; Radiopharmaceuticals/therapeutic use ; Signal Transduction/drug effects ; Treatment Outcome

No abstract available.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Catheter Ablation* ; Neoplasm Metastasis*