Apoptose hépatique

Apoptosis or programmed cell death occurs in the liver as well as in other organs. In the normal state it is not a frequent event of hepatic cell destruction. Nevertheless morphological and biochemical characteristics of liver apoptosis do not differ from that it is observed in other cells. Between the various hepatic apoptotic pathways the Fas receptor pathway is frequently involved and its intra-cellular signal is amplified by mitochondria. Although hepatic apoptosis may occur through several others pathways, Fas which is abundantly expressed on the plasma membrane of hepatocytes and biliary cells, is very often involved in cell destruction during B or C viral hepatitis, whatever their clinical form, alcoholic hepatitis, primary biliary cirrhosis, cholestasis due to hepatic biliary salt accumulation, or drug hepatitis. In contrast, one of the causes for the resistance of hepatic cancerous cells to apoptosis could be due to an alteration of the Fas receptor. It is the reason why many experimental works are presently performed to inhibit the Fas receptor either at the level of its mRNA or at the level of caspases which are Fas-inductible proteolytic enzymes.