Cheng Shiyi, Xiao Xiaoyu, Wang Dingye, Wang Xiyuan, Yang Minlan
School of Medicine, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China.
Front Immunol. 2025 May 12;16:1581582. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1581582. eCollection 2025.
Liver diseases pose a significant threat to human health. Lactate, a byproduct of glycolysis, serves various biological functions, including acting as an energy source, a signaling molecule, and a substrate for lactylation. Lactylation is a novel lactate-dependent post-translational modification that plays a role in tumor proliferation, the regulation of immune cell function, and the modulation of gene expression. In this paper, we summarize the roles of lactate and lactylation in energy metabolism, inflammatory immunity, and the tumor microenvironment, while also elucidating recent research advancements regarding lactate and lactylation in the context of hepatic fibrosis, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Furthermore, lactate and lactylation are proposed as promising new targets for the treatment of liver diseases.
肝脏疾病对人类健康构成重大威胁。乳酸作为糖酵解的副产物，具有多种生物学功能，包括作为能量来源、信号分子以及乳酸化修饰的底物。乳酸化是一种新型的依赖乳酸的翻译后修饰，在肿瘤增殖、免疫细胞功能调节和基因表达调控中发挥作用。在本文中，我们总结了乳酸和乳酸化在能量代谢、炎症免疫以及肿瘤微环境中的作用，同时阐明了在肝纤维化、非酒精性脂肪性肝病和肝细胞癌背景下关于乳酸和乳酸化的最新研究进展。此外，乳酸和乳酸化被认为是治疗肝脏疾病的有前景的新靶点。
