Autoimmune Hepatitis: An Update on Current Animal Models

Abstract

Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a chronic liver disease of unknown origin characterized serologically by the presence of hyperglobulinemia and high-titre autoantibodies and histologically by interface hepatitis leading to cirrhosis. The immunopathogenesis of AIH is not well understood. Hepatocyte destruction in AIH is likely to originate from an autoimmune attack but what it is responsible for the loss of immunological tolerance to disease-related autoantigens is un- known. In this review, we critically evaluate the current experimental AIH models and discuss their advantages and disadvantages in relation to the human disease.