Immune cell communication and signaling systems in liver disease

Abstract

The relationship that exists between the different-components of the immune system within the human liver is a highly complex and dynamic one. In recent years, there has been a rapid expansion of our knowledge of the nature of the liver as an immunologically distinct organ, with numerous unique features that have evolved as a result of its specialized physiological niche. It is now apparent that the immune system plays a crucial role in determining the progression of many liver diseases via chronic inflammatory processes that fail to resolve, through to end stage cirrhosis and on occasions, malignant diseases. The liver receives a substantial blood supply from three sources: from the abdominal aorta via the hepatic artery and two venous plexuses, the portal vein, and inferior vena cava. The liver is therefore continuously exposed to bloodborne pathogens, toxins, tumor cells, and dietary antigens as well as those that can enter the liver from the gut via the ascending biliary tree. The structural organization of the liver has profound implications for its immune function (Fig. 8.1), for review please see Racanelli et al. [1]. © 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.