title: Targeting autophagy for the treatment of liver diseases.
abstract: Autophagy is a lysosomal degradation pathway that can degrade bulk cytoplasm and superfluous or damaged organelles, such as mitochondria, to maintain cellular homeostasis. It is now known that dysregulation of autophagy can cause pathogenesis of numerous human diseases. Here, we discuss the critical roles that autophagy plays in the pathogenesis of liver diseases such as non-alcoholic and alcoholic fatty liver, drug-induced liver injury, protein aggregate-related liver diseases, viral hepatitis, fibrosis, aging and liver cancer. In particular, we discuss the emerging therapeutic potential by pharmacological modulation of autophagy for these liver diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutics, The University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, United States.
authors.forename: Hong-Min
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Ni
authors.forename: Jessica A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Ying-Hong
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Jia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Wen-Xing
authors.initials: WX
authors.lastname: Ding
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001343:Autophagy / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal