The role of very-long-chain fatty acids in the pathogenesis of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease
- VernacularTitle:极长链脂肪酸在代谢相关脂肪性肝病发病机制中的作用
- Author:
Jiaqi KONG
1
;
Tingting REN
1
;
Rui LIU
1
;
Guizhong ZHOU
2
;
Chuanlong ZHU
1
Author Information
- Publication Type:Review
- Keywords: Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease; Fatty Acids; Pathologic Processes
- From: Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2026;42(8):1946-1951
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
- Abstract: Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease （MAFLD） is the most common chronic liver disease， and it has become a major global health issue. Excessive lipid accumulation in the liver is the core pathological event of MAFLD， which triggers lipotoxicity and leads to cell apoptosis， necrosis， and inflammatory cascades by mediating endoplasmic reticulum stress， oxidative stress， organelle dysfunction， and ferroptosis， thereby promoting the progression of simple hepatic steatosis to steatohepatitis and fibrosis. In this process， very-long-chain fatty acids （VLCFAs）， as essential components of cell membranes and lipid metabolism， have attracted increasing attention for their role in lipotoxicity mechanisms. This article reviews the role of VLCFAs in lipid metabolism processes and lipotoxicity mechanisms， focusing on how VLCFAs participate in metabolic regulation through key proteins and disrupt cell membranes to induce oxidative stress， and how their metabolites and derivatives drive inflammatory responses， ultimately promoting the progression of MAFLD.
