World Journal of Hepatology最新文献

{"title":"Targeting hypoxia and angiogenesis in hepatocellular carcinoma: New insights and therapeutic strategies.","authors":"Jia-Yi Du, Chu-Ting Zhang, Ting Li, Ya-Ping Li","doi":"10.4254/wjh.v16.i12.1371","DOIUrl":"10.4254/wjh.v16.i12.1371","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In this manuscript we comment on the article by Yang <i>et al</i> published recently, focusing on how hepatic angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) transcription promote the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). HCC is one of the most common and lethal malignancies worldwide, especially in regions with high hepatitis B virus infection rates. Ang-2 is a key mediator of angiogenesis and plays a significant role in the progression of chronic liver diseases towards HCC, particularly in the hypoxic microenvironment. This paper reviews the dynamic expression of Ang-2 in hepatocarcinogenesis and its regulation by hypoxia-inducible factor-1α. Furthermore, we discuss Ang-2's potential as an early monitoring biomarker for metastasis, and the therapeutic prospects of silencing hypoxia-inducible factor-1α to downregulate Ang-2 and suppress epithelial-mesenchymal transition in HCC treatment.</p>","PeriodicalId":23687,"journal":{"name":"World Journal of Hepatology","volume":"16 12","pages":"1371-1376"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-12-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11686538/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142915616","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Lipophagy and epigenetic alterations are related to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease progression in an experimental model.","authors":"Felipe Schütz, Larisse Longo, Melina Belén Keingeski, Eduardo Filippi-Chiela, Carolina Uribe-Cruz, Mário Reis Álvares-da-Silva","doi":"10.4254/wjh.v16.i12.1468","DOIUrl":"10.4254/wjh.v16.i12.1468","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Genetic and epigenetic alterations are related to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) pathogenesis.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>To evaluate micro (mi)RNAs and lipophagy markers in an experimental model of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Adult male Sprague Dawley rats were randomized into two groups: Control group (<i>n</i> = 10) fed a standard diet; and intervention group (<i>n</i> = 10) fed a high-fat-choline-deficient diet for 16 weeks. Molecular evaluation of lipophagy markers in liver tissue [sirtuin-1, p62/sequestosome-1, transcription factor-EB, perilipin-2 <i>(Plin2)</i>, <i>Plin3</i>, <i>Plin5</i>, lysosome-associated membrane proteins-2, rubicon, and <i>Cd36</i>], and serum miRNAs were performed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Animals in the intervention group developed MASH and showed a significant decrease in sirtuin-1 (<i>P</i> = 0.020) and p62/sequestosome-1 (<i>P</i> < 0.001); the opposite was reported for transcription factor-EB (<i>P</i> = 0.020), <i>Plin2</i> (<i>P</i> = 0.003), <i>Plin3</i> (<i>P</i> = 0.031), and <i>Plin5</i> (<i>P</i> = 0.005) compared to the control group. There was no significant difference between groups for lysosome-associated membrane proteins-2 (<i>P</i> = 0.715), rubicon (<i>P</i> = 0.166), and <i>Cd36</i> (<i>P</i> = 0.312). The intervention group showed a significant increase in miR-34a (<i>P</i> = 0.005) and miR-21 (<i>P</i> = 0.043) compared to the control. There was no significant difference between groups for miR-375 (<i>P</i> = 0.905), miR-26b (<i>P</i> = 0.698), and miR-155 (<i>P</i> = 0.688).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Animals with MASH presented expression changes in markers related to lysosomal stress and autophagy as well as in miRNAs related to inflammation and fibrogenesis, processes that promote MASLD progression.</p>","PeriodicalId":23687,"journal":{"name":"World Journal of Hepatology","volume":"16 12","pages":"1468-1479"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-12-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11686535/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142915043","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Clinical analysis of <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i> infection in patients with liver cirrhosis in Beijing.","authors":"Yu Zhang, Hong Zhao, Shi-Bo Ji, Hui-Chun Xing","doi":"10.4254/wjh.v16.i12.1441","DOIUrl":"10.4254/wjh.v16.i12.1441","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The incidence of <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i> (<i>K. pneumoniae</i>) infection in patients with cirrhosis has been increasing over recent years, posing certain difficulties in clinical treatment.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>To analyze the clinical features of patients with liver cirrhosis and identify the risk factors to help the early diagnosis and treatment of these diseases.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Clinical data and laboratory tests were collected from 72 patients with cirrhosis confirmed by secretion or blood culture of <i>K. pneumoniae</i> infection at Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, between May 2016 and October 2018. Data from hospitalized patients with liver cirrhosis and <i>K. pneumoniae</i> infections, including age, sex, antimicrobial use, length of stay, site of infection, distribution of pathogenic bacteria, complications, invasive operations, laboratory indicators, treatment, and clinical regression, were extracted and retrospectively analyzed. Clinical data and biochemical values were included in the multivariate logistic regression analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 52 men and 20 women, with an age range from 29 to 85 years and an average age of 57.7 ± 12.54, were analyzed. The incidence of hospital <i>K. pneumoniae</i> infection in patients with cirrhosis was approximately 19.44%. The most common the infection site was the bloodstream, followed by the respiratory tract, abdominal cavity, and biliary tract. Risk factors for infection were old age, long hospital stays, gastrointestinal bleeding, and low serum albumin levels, while prophylactic antibiotics were protective factors. The multivariate analysis suggested that other infections, chronic diseases, and invasive procedures were independent factors.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>In clinical practice, the length of hospital stays should be shortened as much as possible, invasive operations should be reduced, antibiotics should be rationally used, and the patients' liver function should be timely improved. This is of great significance for reducing the incidence of hospital infection.</p>","PeriodicalId":23687,"journal":{"name":"World Journal of Hepatology","volume":"16 12","pages":"1441-1449"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-12-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11686545/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142915629","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Influence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease on the therapeutic effect of nucleoside (acid) analogs for hepatitis B virus.","authors":"Hua-Dong Li, Ya-Nan Liu, Shuang Wu, Xu-Feng Quan, Xiao-Yan Wang, Tian-Dan Xiang, Shu-Meng Li, Ling Xu, Tong Wang, Hua Wang, Xin Zheng","doi":"10.4254/wjh.v16.i12.1395","DOIUrl":"10.4254/wjh.v16.i12.1395","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The effect of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) on the efficacy of nucleoside analogues (NAs) in antiviral therapy for patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) remains controversial.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>To investigate the influence of NAFLD on virological response in CHB patients undergoing NAs treatment.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Logistic regression analysis was conducted on a cohort of 465 CHB patients from two hospitals to determine whether NAFLD was a risk factor for adverse reactions to NAs. CHB patients were followed up for more than 28 months after initial antiviral treatment, and further validation was performed using different viral load populations.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>NAFLD was identified as an independent risk factor for partial virological response following antiviral therapy with NAs (odds ratio = 1.777, <i>P</i> = 0.017). In our subsequent analysis focusing on CHB patients with high viral load, the NAFLD group exhibited significantly longer virus shedding time and lower proportion of the complete virological response compared with the non-NAFLD group (16.8 ± 6.1 <i>vs</i> 13.0 ± 6.8, <i>P</i> < 0.05). During the 24-month period of antiviral treatment with NAs, hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA levels decreased slowly in the NAFLD group, and the negative conversion rate of HBV was notably lower than that observed in non-NAFLD group (<i>P</i> = 0.001). Similar results were obtained when analyzing patients with low baseline HBV viral load within the NAFLD group.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Coexistence of NAFLD may diminish virological response among CHB patients receiving antiviral treatment with NAs.</p>","PeriodicalId":23687,"journal":{"name":"World Journal of Hepatology","volume":"16 12","pages":"1395-1406"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-12-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11686536/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142914857","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Clinical profiles and their interaction of concurrent metabolic associated steatotic liver disease and hepatitis B virus infection.","authors":"Shao-Wen Wang, Yu-Wen Chang, Ching Wang, Yu-Ming Cheng, Tsung-Han Hsieh, Chia-Chi Wang, Jia-Horng Kao","doi":"10.4254/wjh.v16.i12.1429","DOIUrl":"10.4254/wjh.v16.i12.1429","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>A new nomenclature of metabolic associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) was proposed in 2023, thus expanding the diagnostic name of \"MASLD combined with other etiologies\".</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>To investigate the clinical profiles of patients with concurrent MASLD and chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study included participants from the Taiwan Bio-bank. The diagnostic criteria of MASLD encompassed hepatic steatosis and any cardio-metabolic risk factors. Positive hepatitis B surface antigen was considered indicative of chronic HBV infection. Dual etiology was defined as MASLD combined with chronic HBV infection (MASLD-HBV). Fibrosis 4 (FIB-4) score determined the severity of liver fibrosis, and atherosclerosis was diagnosed by the presence of carotid plaques on duplex ultrasound.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In a total of 18980 participants (mean age, 55.18 ± 10.35 years; males, 30.42%), there were 7654 (40.3%) MASLD patients and 2128 (11.2%) HBV carriers. After propensity score matching for age and gender, HBV carriers had a lower percentage of MASLD than healthy controls. Those with dual etiology had higher aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and FIB-4 levels, but lower gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) levels than MASLD patients. In contrast, those with dual etiology had higher ALT and GGT levels, but lower FIB-4 than \"HBV alone\" patients. The risk of atherosclerosis was similar among these three groups.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>MASLD-HBV patients have worse liver fibrosis severity than MASLD patients, but better liver fibrosis stage than \"HBV alone\" patients, suggesting a complex interaction between MASLD and chronic HBV infection.</p>","PeriodicalId":23687,"journal":{"name":"World Journal of Hepatology","volume":"16 12","pages":"1429-1440"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-12-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11686540/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142915717","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Multiple intrahepatic artery aneurysms during the treatment for IgG4-related sclerosing cholangitis: A case report.","authors":"Hotaka Tamura, Yoshinori Ozono, Keisuke Uchida, Naomi Uchiyama, Hiroshi Hatada, Souichiro Ogawa, Hisayoshi Iwakiri, Hiroshi Kawakami","doi":"10.4254/wjh.v16.i12.1505","DOIUrl":"10.4254/wjh.v16.i12.1505","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The purpose of this case report is to describe a case of multiple intrahepatic artery aneurysms during treatment for IgG4-related sclerosing cholangitis (IgG4-SC) and to provide information for daily practice.</p><p><strong>Case summary: </strong>A 64-year-old Japanese woman was diagnosed with IgG4-SC five years prior and was receiving maintenance treatment with prednisolone 7.5-10 mg/day. She developed abdominal pain and a sudden onset of black stool and was admitted to our hospital. Abdominal contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) and ultrasonography (US) revealed multiple intrahepatic artery aneurysms that developed during the treatment for IgG4-SC. Emergency transarterial embolization for multiple hepatic artery aneurysms was performed. Hepatic artery aneurysms disappeared on contrast-enhanced CT and US, the progression of anemia ceased, and the melena resolved. Thus, hemostasis was achieved.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Hepatic artery aneurysms should be considered poor prognostic complications of IgG4-SC.</p>","PeriodicalId":23687,"journal":{"name":"World Journal of Hepatology","volume":"16 12","pages":"1505-1514"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-12-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11686534/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142915121","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of nocturnal snacks on body composition in patients with liver cirrhosis.","authors":"Yong-Bo Yu, Xiu-Juan Fu, Guo-Fen Xu, Ling-Yun Niu, Ruo-Nan Duan, Jia Yao, Ning-Hui Zhao","doi":"10.4254/wjh.v16.i12.1458","DOIUrl":"10.4254/wjh.v16.i12.1458","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Patients with liver cirrhosis are universally malnourished and the nocturnal snacks intervention is the currently recommended nutritional intervention for patients with liver cirrhosis. Body composition is an important indicator for the assessment of nutritional conditions. We investigated the effects of nocturnal snacks (200 kcal/day) for 3 months on body composition in patients with liver cirrhosis.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>To investigate the effect of nocturnal snacks on body composition in patients with cirrhosis.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Seventy patients with liver cirrhosis and 30 healthy controls were enrolled, and differences in body composition were detected using InBody 720, a body composition analyzer. The patients were further randomized into a normal diet group (three meals a day) and nocturnal snacks group (three meals a day + nocturnal snacks). The effect of nocturnal snacks on the body composition of patients with cirrhosis was assessed after 3 months of intervention.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Body fat mass (BFM), skeletal muscle mass (SMM), fat free mass, visceral fat area (VFA), and body cell mass (BCM) were significantly lower in the liver cirrhosis patients than in the healthy controls. After 3 months' intervention, BFM, VFA and BCM were significantly higher in the nocturnal snacks group than in the normal diet group, with no significant differences in total caloric intake and daily activity. However, there was no significant difference in SMM between the nocturnal snacks and normal diet groups.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Long-term nocturnal snacks may improve body composition indices such as BFM, VFA and BCM in patients with cirrhosis. However, the improvement was minor for SMM.</p>","PeriodicalId":23687,"journal":{"name":"World Journal of Hepatology","volume":"16 12","pages":"1458-1467"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-12-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11686546/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142915721","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Hepatitis B virus-induced cirrhosis: Mechanisms, global variations, and treatment advances.","authors":"Jun-Ya Cheng, Guan-Yue Shan, Hui Wan, Yi-Ying Liu, Yu-Xin Zhang, Wen-Na Shi, Hai-Jun Li","doi":"10.4254/wjh.v16.i12.1515","DOIUrl":"10.4254/wjh.v16.i12.1515","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We focus on hepatitis B virus (HBV)-induced cirrhosis, global differences, and the evolution of antiviral treatment strategies. Chronic HBV (CHB) infection affects more than 250 million people globally, leading to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The aim of this article was to synthesize the current understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms and clinical consequences of HBV-induced cirrhosis, and explore differences in disease progression between geographic regions. Disease progression varies across regions due to differences in HBV subtypes, transmission routes, and immune responses. The challenge of late diagnosis and treatment, particularly in resource-limited areas, highlights the urgency and importance of CHB service expansion. Modern nucleos(t)ide analogues, such as tenofovir and entecavir, have emerged as the main therapeutic regimens to improve clinical outcomes in patients by suppressing viral replication and attenuating liver fibrosis. However, drug resistance challenges highlight the need for ongoing research and personalized treatment strategies. This article highlights the mechanisms and impact of cirrhosis progression in the context of CHB infection, aiming to reduce the incidence of cirrhosis and its serious consequences, thereby improving the long-term health of CHB patients worldwide, especially in Africa.</p>","PeriodicalId":23687,"journal":{"name":"World Journal of Hepatology","volume":"16 12","pages":"1515-1523"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-12-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11686541/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142915724","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Development and validation of biomarkers related to anoikis in liver cirrhosis based on bioinformatics analysis.","authors":"Jiang-Yan Luo, Sheng Zheng, Juan Yang, Chi Ma, Xiao-Ying Ma, Xing-Xing Wang, Xin-Nian Fu, Xiao-Zhou Mao","doi":"10.4254/wjh.v16.i11.1306","DOIUrl":"10.4254/wjh.v16.i11.1306","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>According to study, anoikis-related genes (ARGs) have been demonstrated to play a significant impact in cirrhosis, a major disease threatening human health worldwide.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>To investigate the relationship between ARGs and cirrhosis development to provide insights into the clinical treatment of cirrhosis.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>RNA-sequencing data related to cirrhosis were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between cirrhotic and normal tissues were intersected with ARGs to derive differentially expressed ARGs (DEARGs). The DEARGs were filtered using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator, support vector machine recursive feature elimination, and random forest algorithms to identify biomarkers for cirrhosis. These biomarkers were used to create a nomogram for predicting the prognosis of cirrhosis. The proportions of diverse immune cell subsets in cirrhotic <i>vs</i> normal tissues were compared using the CIBERSORT computational method. In addition, the linkage between immune cells and biomarkers was assessed, and a regulatory network of mRNA, miRNA, and transcription factors was constructed relying on the biomarkers.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The comparison of cirrhotic and normal tissue samples led to the identification of 635 DEGs. Subsequent intersection of the DEGs with ARGs produced a set of 26 DEARGs. Subsequently, three DEARGs, namely, <i>ACTG1</i>, <i>STAT1</i>, and <i>CCR7</i>, were identified as biomarkers using three machine-learning algorithms. The proportions of M1 and M2 macrophages, resting CD4 memory T cells, resting mast cells, and plasma cells significantly differed between cirrhotic and normal tissue samples. The proportions of M1 and M2 macrophages, resting CD4 memory T cells, and resting mast cells were significantly correlated with the expression of the three biomarkers. The mRNA-miRNA-TF network showed that <i>ACTG1</i>, <i>CCR7</i>, and <i>STAT1</i> were regulated by 28, 42, and 35 miRNAs, respectively. Moreover, AR, MAX, EP300, and FOXA1 were found to regulate four miRNAs related to the biomarkers.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study revealed <i>ACTG1</i>, <i>STAT1</i>, and <i>CCR7</i> as biomarkers of cirrhosis, providing a reference for developing novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for cirrhosis.</p>","PeriodicalId":23687,"journal":{"name":"World Journal of Hepatology","volume":"16 11","pages":"1306-1320"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-11-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11586749/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142740575","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Current status of drug therapy for alveolar echinococcosis.","authors":"Qin-Dong Jing, Ji-De A, Lin-Xun Liu, Hai-Ning Fan","doi":"10.4254/wjh.v16.i11.1243","DOIUrl":"10.4254/wjh.v16.i11.1243","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is a chronic zoonotic parasitic disease caused by infection with <i>Echinococcus multilocularis</i>. AE is associated with a high mortality rate and poses a significant threat to human health. The primary treatment for AE is surgical resection of the lesions; however, owing to its long incubation period and insidious disease progression, many patients are diagnosed only after the onset of complications such as liver cirrhosis, jaundice, and portal hypertension, which preclude curative surgical intervention. For patients who are unwilling or unable to undergo surgery, lifelong administration of anti-AE medications is necessary. Benzimidazole compounds, such as albendazole and mebendazole, are the current mainstays of treatment, offering good efficacy. Nevertheless, these medications primarily inhibit parasite proliferation rather than eradicate the infection, and their long-term use can lead to significant drug-related toxic effects. Consequently, there is an urgent need to develop new therapeutic strategies that convey better efficacy and reduce the adverse effects associated with current treatments. Recent advancements in AE therapy include novel synthetic compounds such as antiviral agents, antibiotics, antineoplastic agents, immunosuppressants, and antiangiogenic agents, as well as natural compounds derived from traditional Chinese and Tibetan medicine. These new drugs show promising clinical potential because they interfere with parasitic metabolic pathways and cellular structures. This review aims to discuss recent research on AE drug therapy, including mechanisms of action, dosing regimens, signalling pathways, and therapeutic outcomes, with a goal of providing new insights and directions for the development of anti-AE drugs and summarizing current advancements in AE pharmacotherapy.</p>","PeriodicalId":23687,"journal":{"name":"World Journal of Hepatology","volume":"16 11","pages":"1243-1254"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-11-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11586754/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142740574","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}