| Abstract: | The liver is an organ implicated in
a wide range of functions including
protein, lipid and carbohydrate metabolism
as well as hormone modification
and degradation. Hence, liver
disorders, comprising inflammatory
processes and liver failure, may significantly
influence endocrine homeostasis.
Liver dysfunction leads to
impaired protein synthesis, including
hormone production disorders. Furthermore,
endocrine disorders may be
causally connected not only with primary
liver disease, but they may also
develop secondary to liver disease
therapy. On the other hand, endocrine
glands influence cell metabolism and
distribution of body fat, and therefore,
may contribute to development of
liver diseases, such as non-alcoholic
fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and nonalcoholic
steatohepatitis (NASH). The
increased incidence of these diseases
is inseparably related to growing epidemic
of obesity. The aim of this review
is to discuss changes in endocrine
homeostasis in the presence of liver
dysfunction. According to vast literature
regarding glucose homeostasis
and adipokines in liver diseases, this
problem will not be discussed in our
review. |
