Published online Oct 18, 2015. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v7.i23.2459
Peer-review started: March 18, 2015
First decision: April 23, 2015
Revised: May 7, 2015
Accepted: August 29, 2015
Article in press: September 7, 2015
Published online: October 18, 2015
Processing time: 215 Days and 3.8 Hours
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide. The main etiologies of HCC are hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus (HCV), and non-hepatitis B/non-hepatitis C HCC (NBNC-HCC) has also been identified as an etiological factor. Although the incidence of HCV-related HCC in Japan has decreased slightly in recent years, that of NBNC-HCC has increased. The onset mechanism of NBNC-HCC, which has various etiologies, remains unclear; however, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a severe form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, is known to be an important risk factor for NBNC-HCC. Among the different advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) formed by the Maillard reaction, glyceraldehyde-derived AGEs, the predominant components of toxic AGEs (TAGE), have been associated with NASH and NBNC-HCC, including NASH-related HCC. Furthermore, the expression of the receptor for AGEs (RAGE) has been correlated with the malignant progression of HCC. Therefore, TAGE induce oxidative stress by binding with RAGE may, in turn, lead to adverse effects, such as fibrosis and malignant transformation, in hepatic stellate cells and tumor cells during NASH or NASH-related HCC progression. The aim of this review was to examine the contribution of the TAGE-RAGE axis in NASH-related HCC.
Core tip: Expression of the receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE), which is a multi-ligand cell surface receptor, is correlated with the poor therapeutic outcomes and malignancy of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The synthesis of toxic advanced glycation end-products (TAGE), ligands of RAGE, is increased in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) as well as in NASH-related HCC. Interactions between TAGE and RAGE induce oxidative stress, which may, in turn, lead to adverse effects in tumor cells and hepatic stellate cells during NASH or NASH-related HCC progression. Therefore, these findings prompted us to suggest that the TAGE-RAGE axis may be a treatment target in NASH-related HCC.