Cheng CY, Hao WR, Cheng TH. Understanding the molecular crossroads in acute liver failure: A pathway to new therapies. World J Gastroenterol 2024; 30(23): 2931-2933 [DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v30.i23.2931]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Tzu-Hurng Cheng, PhD, Professor, Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, China Medical University, No. 91 Xueshi Road, North District, Taichung 404333, Taiwan. thcheng@mail.cmu.edu.tw
Research Domain of This Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Article-Type of This Article
Editorial
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Gastroenterol. Jun 21, 2024; 30(23): 2931-2933 Published online Jun 21, 2024. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v30.i23.2931
Understanding the molecular crossroads in acute liver failure: A pathway to new therapies
Chun-Yao Cheng, Wen-Rui Hao, Tzu-Hurng Cheng
Chun-Yao Cheng, Department of Medical Education, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei 100225, Taiwan
Wen-Rui Hao, Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Shuang Ho Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taipei Medical University, New Taipei 23561, Taiwan
Wen-Rui Hao, Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11002, Taiwan
Tzu-Hurng Cheng, Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 404333, Taiwan
Co-first authors: Chun-Yao Cheng and Wen-Rui Hao.
Author contributions: Cheng CY and Hao WR contributed equally; Cheng CY wrote the paper; Hao WH and Cheng TH revised the paper; All authors have read and approve the final manuscript.
Supported byChina Medical University, No. CMU111-MF-10.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: Https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Tzu-Hurng Cheng, PhD, Professor, Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, China Medical University, No. 91 Xueshi Road, North District, Taichung 404333, Taiwan. thcheng@mail.cmu.edu.tw
Received: February 24, 2024 Revised: April 30, 2024 Accepted: May 24, 2024 Published online: June 21, 2024 Processing time: 117 Days and 4.4 Hours
Abstract
In this editorial we comment on the article published in a recent issue of the World Journal of Gastroenterology. Acute liver failure (ALF) is a critical condition characterized by rapid hepatocellular injury and organ dysfunction, and it often necessitates liver transplant to ensure patient survival. Recent research has elucidated the involvement of distinct cell death pathways, namely ferroptosis and pyroptosis, in the pathogenesis of ALF. Ferroptosis is driven by iron-dependent lipid peroxidation, whereas pyroptosis is an inflammatory form of cell death; both pathways contribute to hepatocyte death and exacerbate tissue damage. This comprehensive review explores the interplay between ferroptosis and pyroptosis in ALF, highlighting the role of key regulators such as silent information regulator sirtuin 1. Insights from clinical and preclinical studies provide valuable perspectives on the dysregulation of cell death pathways in ALF and the therapeutic potential of targeting these pathways. Collaboration across multiple disciplines is essential for translating the experimental insights into effective treatments for this life-threatening condition.
Core Tip: Understanding the interplay between ferroptosis and pyroptosis is crucial for delineating the complex pathophysiology of acute liver failure (ALF). Targeting key regulators of these cell death pathways, particularly silent information regulator sirtuin 1, holds promise for the development of novel therapeutic strategies for mitigating hepatocyte injury and improving clinical outcomes in patients with ALF. Multidisciplinary collaborations that integrate basic science, translational research, and clinical trials should be conducted to accelerate the translation of the experimental findings into effective treatments for this life-threatening condition.
