The role of lipophagy in lipid metabolism and chronic liver diseases.

Current evidence implicates a new type of selective autophagy - lipophagy, which selectively recognizes and breaks down lipids.Lipophagy play essential roles in regulating lipid metabolism and maintaining cellular lipid homeostasis. Autophagy involves in multi-functions in liver.It might not only mobilize lipid droplets to regulate catabolism of lipid but also involves in the secretion and assembly of very low density lipoprotein (VLDL). However, autophagic functions are disordered by high-fat diet, alcohol consumption or hepatitis virus, resulting in steatosis and fibrosis even apoptosis of hepatocytes.These conditions may further lead to the development of fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocelluar carcinoma (HCC). It is essential to explore lipophagic regulating roles of lipid metabolism and influences in chromic liver. Key words: lipophagy; Lipid metabolism; Fatty liver; Viral hepatitis