Hwang Seonghwan, Hicks Amy, Hoo Chai Zhen, Kwon Yong Seong, Cho Ye Eun, Moore Joanna, Gao Bin
College of Pharmacy and Research Institute for Drug Development, Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea.
Leeds Liver Unit, St James's University Hospital, Leeds, UK.
Liver Int. 2025 Mar;45(3):e15619. doi: 10.1111/liv.15619. Epub 2023 May 19.
Acute liver failure (ALF) is a life-threatening medical condition, characterized by rapidly progressive hepatic dysfunction, coagulopathy and hepatic encephalopathy in patients without chronic liver disease, while acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) occurs in patients with existing chronic liver disease. ALF and ACLF are often associated with multiple organ failure and a high short-term mortality. In this review, we briefly discuss the causes and pathogenesis of ALF and ACLF, the current options available for the treatment of both deadly maladies and interleukin-22 (IL-22), a novel promising drug that may have great therapeutic potential for ALF and ACLF treatment. IL-22 is a cytokine produced by immune cells but mainly targets epithelial cells including hepatocytes. IL-22 has been shown to protect against organ damage and reduce bacterial infection in many preclinical models and several clinical trials including alcohol-associated hepatitis. The potential application of IL-22 for the treatment of ALF and ACLF is also elaborated.
急性肝衰竭（ALF）是一种危及生命的病症，其特征是在无慢性肝病的患者中出现快速进展的肝功能障碍、凝血功能障碍和肝性脑病，而慢加急性肝衰竭（ACLF）则发生在已有慢性肝病的患者中。ALF和ACLF常与多器官衰竭及高短期死亡率相关。在本综述中，我们简要讨论了ALF和ACLF的病因及发病机制、当前治疗这两种致命疾病的可用方法，以及白细胞介素-22（IL-22），一种可能对ALF和ACLF治疗具有巨大治疗潜力的新型有前景药物。IL-22是一种由免疫细胞产生的细胞因子，但主要作用于包括肝细胞在内的上皮细胞。在许多临床前模型以及包括酒精性肝炎在内的多项临床试验中，IL-22已被证明可预防器官损伤并减少细菌感染。本文还阐述了IL-22在ALF和ACLF治疗中的潜在应用。
