Mechanism of action of hepatic macrophages in metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease and related targeted therapeutic strategies
- VernacularTitle:肝巨噬细胞在代谢相关脂肪性肝病中的作用机制及相关靶向治疗策略
- Author:
Lei XIAO
1
;
Wanting SHA
1
;
Jiawen WU
1
;
Mei YANG
2
;
Qi ZHAO
3
;
Kaiyang LI
1
Author Information
- Publication Type:Review
- Keywords: Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease; Macrophages; Pathologic Processes; Molecular Targeted Therapy
- From: Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2026;42(9):2183-2190
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
- Abstract: Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease （MAFLD） is currently the most prevalent chronic liver disease worldwide， and its disease spectrum encompasses simple steatosis， metabolic-associated steatohepatitis， hepatic fibrosis， liver cirrhosis， and hepatocellular carcinoma. Recent studies have shown that hepatic macrophages play an important regulatory role in the development and progression of MAFLD. Hepatic macrophages mainly consist of resident Kupffer cells and monocyte-derived macrophages， which participate in the pathophysiological processes of the disease by regulating inflammatory response， lipid metabolism， fibrogenic process， and cell death pathways. This article summarizes the diversity and functional plasticity of hepatic macrophages in MAFLD， reviews their interactions with hepatocytes and gut microbiota， elaborates on the core mechanism of hepatic macrophages and related signaling pathways in the progression of MAFLD， and further discusses novel therapeutic strategies targeting hepatic macrophages. An in-depth understanding of the mechanism of action of hepatic macrophages in MAFLD may provide a crucial theoretical basis for developing precise therapeutic approaches for this disease.
