Mechanisms of Liver Injury. I. TNF- -induced liver injury: role of IKK, JNK, and ROS pathways

Schwabe, Robert F., and David A. Brenner. Mechanisms of Liver Injury. I. TNF-induced liver injury: role of IKK, JNK, and ROS pathways. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 290: G583– G589, 2006; doi:10.1152/ajpgi.00422.2005.—TNFactivates several intracellular pathways to regulate inflammation, cell death, and proliferation. In the liver, TNFis not only a mediator of hepatotoxicity but also contributes to the restoration of functional liver mass by driving hepatocyte proliferation and liver regeneration. This review summarizes recent advances in TNFsignaling mechanisms that demonstrate how the IKK, ROS, and JNK pathways interact with each other to regulate hepatocyte apoptosis and proliferation. Activation of these pathways is causatively linked to liver injury induced by concanavalin A, TNF, and ischemia-reperfusion and to liver regeneration and hepatocarcinogenesis. In light of recent findings, pharmacological inhibitors of JNK and IKK and antioxidants may be promising new tools for the treatment of hepatitis, ischemia-reperfusion injury, and hepatocellular carcinoma.