Cellular Injury in Liver Diseases

Abstract

Cell death is a fundamental biological phenomenon. It is evolutionarily conserved but can assume different forms under different conditions. While apoptosis, necrosis, and necroptosis are perhaps best studied, less known forms of cell death such as pyroptosis, ferroptosis, parthanatos, and entosis are increasingly found in various conditions or organisms. In multicellular organisms, cell death is important for development, shaping organ size, reforming tissue architecture, promoting functional differentiation, and determining mitochondrial inheritance. In the post-development stage, cell death determines the severity in tissue injury and the degree of subsequent response in inflammation, fibrosis, repair, regeneration, and tumorigenesis. The pathological changes in a complex organ, such as the liver, can be greatly affected by the death program in its cellular components.