Liver is the largest solid organ in our body responsible for nutrient assimilation and protein synthesis. Recently, accumulating evidence shows that the liver is not only a major metabolic organ, but also an immunologic organ. For example, many liver-resident antigen-presenting cells modulate immune regulatory function. Kupffer cells have an important role in phagocytosis to prevent invasion of pathogenic organisms from the intestine. Innate lymphocytes, including both natural killer cells and natural killer T cells, are enriched in the liver. Liver is also the major organ that produces acute phase proteins, which are modulate inflammatory response in acute as well as chronic liver disease models.

The immune cells in the liver are critical in the pathogenesis of almost all types of liver diseases like viral hepatitis, fatty liver, alcoholic liver diseases, cirrhosis, drug/toxin induced injury, and so on. The studies on liver inflammation and its pathways will greatly improve the understanding of the mechanism of how liver immune cells which interacted with hepatocytes and other resident cells in the liver can cause liver damage. These studies will also be very helpful to develop novel therapeutics for various liver diseases.

We invite authors to contribute original research articles as well as review articles that will provide the information on the following topics.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Understanding of the immune and inflammatory processes responsible for the progression of the following liver diseases: alcoholic and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, acute or chronic viral hepatitis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and drug and other hepatotoxins induced liver injury
• Novel strategies for treating inflammatory liver diseases