Title:Emerging Role of Interleukins for the Assessment and Treatment of Liver
Diseases
Volume: 22
Issue: 4
Author(s): Aaliya L. Ali, Namrata P. Nailwal and Gaurav M. Doshi*
Affiliation:
- Department of Pharmacology, SVKM'S Dr. Bhanuben Nanavati College of Pharmacy, Mithibai Campus, Vile Parle
(W), Mumbai-400056, India
Keywords:
Interleukins, acute liver failure, alcoholic liver dsease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, liver Fibrosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, inflammation, liver injury, hepatoprotective effect.
Abstract:
Background: The most common liver diseases are fibrosis, alcoholic liver disease, nonalcoholic
fatty disease, viral hepatitis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. These liver diseases account
for approximately 2 million deaths per year worldwide, with cirrhosis accounting for 2.1% of the
worldwide burden. The most widely used liver function tests for diagnosis are alanine transaminase,
aspartate transaminase, serum proteins, serum albumin, and serum globulins, whereas antivirals
and corticosteroids have been proven to be useful for the treatment of liver diseases. A major
disadvantage of these diagnostic measures is the lack of specificity to a particular tissue or cell
type, as these enzymes are common to one or more tissues. The major adverse effect of current
treatment methods is drug resistance. To overcome these issues, interleukins have been investigated.
The balance of these interleukins determines the outcome of an immune response. Interleukins
are considered interesting therapeutic targets for the treatment of liver diseases. In this review, we
summarize the current state of knowledge regarding interleukins in the diagnosis, treatment, and
pathogenesis of different acute and chronic liver diseases.
Objective: To understand the role of interleukins in the assessment and treatment of different types
of liver diseases.
Methods: A literature search was conducted using PubMed, Science Direct, and NCBI with the following
keywords: Interleukins, Acute Liver Failure, Alcoholic Liver Disease, Non-Alcoholic Fatty
Liver Disease, Liver Fibrosis, Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Inflammation, Liver injury, Hepatoprotective
effect. Clinical trial data on these interleukins have been searched on Clinicaltrials.gov.
Results: Existing literature and preclinical and clinical trial data demonstrate that interleukins play
a crucial role in the pathogenesis of liver diseases.
Conclusion: Our findings indicate that IL-1, IL-6, IL-10, IL-17, IL-22, IL-35, and IL-37 are involved
in the progression and control of various liver conditions via the regulation of cell signaling
pathways. However, further investigation on the involvement of these interleukins is necessary for
their use as a targeted therapy in liver diseases.
