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Semin Liver Dis 2017; 37(01): 011-016
DOI: 10.1055/s-0036-1597819
Review Article
Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

The Role of Akt in Chronic Liver Disease and Liver Regeneration

Manuel Morales-Ruiz
1   Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Hospital Clínic of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
2   Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
3   Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), Barcelona, Spain
4   Department of Biomedicine-Biochemistry Unit, School of Medicine University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
,
Ansgar Santel
2   Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
,
Jordi Ribera
2   Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
3   Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), Barcelona, Spain
,
Wladimiro Jiménez
1   Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Hospital Clínic of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
2   Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
3   Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), Barcelona, Spain
4   Department of Biomedicine-Biochemistry Unit, School of Medicine University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
15 February 2017 (online)

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Abstract

The liver is continuously exposed to diverse insults, which may culminate in pathological processes causing liver disease. An effective therapeutic strategy for chronic liver disease should control the causal factors of the disease and stimulate functional liver regeneration. Preclinical studies have shown that interventions aimed at maintaining Akt activity in a dysfunctional liver meet most of the criteria. Although the central function of Akt is cell survival, other cellular aspects such as glucose uptake, glycogen synthesis, cell-cycle progression, and lipid metabolism have been shown to be prominent functions of Akt in the context of hepatic physiology. In this review, the authors describe the benefits of the Akt signaling pathway, emphasizing its importance in coordinating proper cellular growth and differentiation during liver regeneration, hepatic function, and liver disease.

Keywords

cirrhosis - nonalcoholic fatty liver disease - liver regeneration - viral hepatitis - Akt
 

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