Editorial
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2015. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Hepatol. Jul 28, 2015; 7(15): 1905-1912
Published online Jul 28, 2015. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v7.i15.1905
Cross talk of the immune system in the adipose tissue and the liver in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis: Pathology and beyond
Luisa Vonghia, Sven Francque
Luisa Vonghia, Sven Francque, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital Antwerp, 2650 Edegem, Belgium
Luisa Vonghia, Sven Francque, Laboratory of Experimental Medicine and Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
Author contributions: Vonghia L and Francque S contributed equally to this work.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.
Open-Access: 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/
Correspondence to: Luisa Vonghia, MD, PhD, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital Antwerp, Wilrijkstraat 10, 2650 Edegem, Belgium. luisa.vonghia@uza.be
Telephone: +32-3-8213324 Fax: +32-3-8214478
Received: March 24, 2015
Peer-review started: March 26, 2015
First decision: April 10, 2015
Revised: April 30, 2015
Accepted: June 15, 2015
Article in press: June 16, 2015
Published online: July 28, 2015
Abstract

Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is considered to be the hepatic manifestation of the metabolic syndrome, thus has a tight correlation with systemic metabolic impairment. The complex mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of NASH involve different organs and systems that cross talk together contributing to the onset of NASH. A crucial role is played by inflammatory mediators, especially those deriving from the adipose tissue and the liver, which are involved in the cascade of inflammation, fibrosis and eventually tumorigenesis. In this setting cytokines and adipokines as well as immunity are emerging drivers of the key features of NASH. The immune system participates in this process with disturbances of the cells constituting both the innate and the adaptive immune systems that have been reported in different organs, such as in the liver and in the adipose tissue, in clinical and preclinical studies. The role of the immune system in NASH is increasingly studied, not only because of its contribution to the pathogenetic mechanisms of NASH but also because of the new potential therapeutic options it offers in this setting. Indeed, novel treatments acting on the immune system could offer new options in the management of NASH and the correlated clinical consequences.

Keywords: Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, Immune system, Adipokines, Inflammation, Fibrosis

Core tip: Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is considered to be the hepatic manifestation of the metabolic syndrome, thus has a tight correlation with systemic metabolic impairment. The complex mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of NASH involve different organs, including liver, adipose tissue and immune system, which cross talk together contributing to the onset of NASH. Increasing interest has been aroused by the role of the immune system in NASH, not only because of its contribution to the pathogenetic mechanisms of NASH but also considering the new potential therapeutic options in this setting.