Autophagy and NAFLD. The evolution of NAFLD could be associated with dynamic regulation of autophagy. In the steatotic liver and hepatocytes, the autophagic flux is decreased and is associated with an alteration in the metabolic homeostasis and vulnerability of the liver. The low number of reports concerning the NASH liver does not allow one to clearly establish if an additional alteration in the autophagic flux occurs with inflammation. In the fibrotic liver, activation of autophagy in HCSs regulates their activation. In HCC, a decrease in autophagy in cancer cells and tumor-associated macrophages (M2 phenotype) facilitate tumor initiation and progression, respectively. Furthermore, liver complications increase with age and it is well established that hepatic autophagy is impaired in aging. It is thus difficult to obtain a clear picture of the level of autophagy in liver diseases in reinforcing the notion of dynamic processes. Additional studies are required to better understand the role of autophagy in the liver and in specific liver cells in NAFLD. However, it is obvious that important deregulation of hepatic autophagy facilitates the development of NAFLD. (: autophagy.)
: autophagy.)
