REVIEW article

Front. Cell Dev. Biol.

Sec. Signaling

Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcell.2025.1614940

Mechanism and regulation of mitophagy in liver diseases: A review

Provisionally accepted
Sen LiuSen Liu1Libo WangLibo Wang2Liuyang ZhuLiuyang Zhu3tianyu zhaotianyu zhao2Pinsheng HanPinsheng Han4fengying yanfengying yan2xiaoliang wangxiaoliang wang2Chunli LiChunli Li1*ze wangze wang2*Bao-feng YangBao-feng Yang5*
  • 1Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, China
  • 2Tianjin Institute of Pharmaceutical Research, Tianjin, China
  • 3First Central Clinical College, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
  • 4Nankai University of Medicine College, tianjin, China
  • 5School of Pharmacy, Harbin Medical University., Harbin, Jilin Province, China

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Mitochondria are vital for the proper operation of healthy eukaryotic cells. Mitophagy, a specialized form of autophagy that targets damaged or surplus mitochondria, plays a key role in both the normal functioning and diseaserelated processes within the liver. This review aims to explore the main mechanisms underlying the initiation of mitophagy and its importance in various liver conditions, such as alcoholic liver disease, drug-induced liver injury, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, viral hepatitis, and cancer. Gaining insight into these mechanisms can help overcome the obstacles related to harnessing mitophagy as a therapeutic strategy in clinical practice.

Keywords: Mitochondria, mitophagy, Liver disease, DILI, NAFLD

Received: 20 Apr 2025; Accepted: 16 Jun 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Liu, Wang, Zhu, zhao, Han, yan, wang, Li, wang and Yang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence:
Chunli Li, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, China
ze wang, Tianjin Institute of Pharmaceutical Research, Tianjin, China
Bao-feng Yang, School of Pharmacy, Harbin Medical University., Harbin, Jilin Province, China

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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