Acute-on-chronic liver failure: systemic inflammation and immunosuppression

ACLF is a severe and often fatal condition that occurs in individuals with underlying chronic liver disease when acute events precipitate its development. Due to the lack of therapies for ACLF, except for liver transplantation, there is a critical need to investigate its pathophysiological mechanisms. It is well-established that systemic inflammation plays a significant role in driving ACLF. However, there is limited understanding of how systemic inflammation develops and how it affects organ functions. Additionally, immunosuppression, another immune dysfunction observed in ACLF, contributes to bacterial infections and worsens the overall condition. Unfortunately, little is known about the development of immunosuppression during ACLF and its underlying molecular
mechanisms. Consequently, ACLF remains a major challenge for clinicians and researchers. The following articles present interesting findings in the field of Acute-on-chronic Liver Failure (ACLF).

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Tyc, O., Shi, Y., Fan, Y.C., Trebicka, J., Xiang, X. Editorial: Acute-on-chronic liver failure: systemic inflammation and immunosuppression. Front Immunol. 2023 Aug 15;14:1260749. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1260749. PMID: 37662960; PMCID: PMC10469593