Review
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2021. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Hepatol. Nov 27, 2021; 13(11): 1611-1628
Published online Nov 27, 2021. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v13.i11.1611
Newly discovered endocrine functions of the liver
Jane Rhyu, Run Yu
Jane Rhyu, Run Yu, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
Author contributions: Both authors write the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Both authors have no conflict of interest to disclose.
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: http://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Run Yu, MD, PhD, Professor, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, 200 Medical Plaza Driveway #530, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States. runyu@mednet.ucla.edu
Received: March 17, 2021
Peer-review started: March 17, 2021
First decision: May 2, 2021
Revised: July 5, 2021
Accepted: September 22, 2021
Article in press: September 22, 2021
Published online: November 27, 2021
Core Tip

Core Tip: The liver has many newly discovered endocrine functions, most of which are in regulating metabolism, underscoring the functioning of the liver as a major metabolic organ. Convincing evidence has shown that the liver regulates endocrine functions in mineral and fuel metabolism, especially in the metabolism of glucose and lipids via hepatokines and amino acids via negative feedback on pancreatic α cells. As research into the endocrine function of the liver is a rapidly evolving field, controversial findings often exist; caution needs to be taken when interpreting novel findings to avoid over-simplification of complex metabolic processes and premature allocation of research resources.