Metabolic regulation of liver regeneration

The liver is well known to regenerate from hepatic injury, and the signals that control this process have been extensively studied. Such investigations reveal several principles governing the regenerative response and identify many signaling pathways as regulated during and essential for normal regeneration. Nevertheless, the earliest events that stimulate liver regeneration as well as the distal signals that terminate this response remain incompletely understood. Moreover, the ultimate goal of such research, i.e. translation of mechanism-based proregenerative interventions into new treatments for human liver diseases, has not yet been achieved. Recent studies suggest that alterations in metabolism generate important signals that regulate regenerative hepatocellular proliferation. This chapter provides an overview of the data in support of a "metabolic model" of liver regeneration and considers the clinical implications and opportunities for further study suggested by those results.