The liver is intimately linked to the gut via the portal vein (connection named as gut-liver axis). Patients with cirrhosis develop dysbiosis, small bowel bacterial overgrowth and increased gut wall permeability, favoring bacterial translocation and uptake of endotoxin inducing hepatic and systemic inflammation.
Accordingly, altered gut microbiota has been associated with several liver conditions and complications, such as chronic hepatitis, fatty liver disease, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. In addition, patients subjected to liver transplantation (a life-saving strategy for patients with end-stage liver disease, hepatocellular carcinoma, and acute liver failure) usually suffer for bacterial infections, especially due to multidrug-resistant germs. Nevertheless, the understanding of the interaction between the gut microbiota and the immune system in liver transplant recipients and their role in infections is very limited. In the same line, changes in the gut microbiota during partial hepatectomy induced acute liver injury remained elusive as well as the specific role of the microbiome in ischemia/reperfusion injury during liver surgery.
Having in mind the aforementioned, in the present Research Topic we welcome the submission of Original Research Articles, Reviews, and Mini-reviews including, but not limited to, the following topics
1) Characteristics of intestinal microbiota during partial hepatectomy acute liver injury and related pathways.
2) Manipulation of the gut microbiota as a therapeutic instrument to modulate infectious risk and outcome after liver surgery
3) Interplay between Gut Microbiota and the Immune System in liver transplant recipients and Its role in infections
The liver is intimately linked to the gut via the portal vein (connection named as gut-liver axis). Patients with cirrhosis develop dysbiosis, small bowel bacterial overgrowth and increased gut wall permeability, favoring bacterial translocation and uptake of endotoxin inducing hepatic and systemic inflammation.
Accordingly, altered gut microbiota has been associated with several liver conditions and complications, such as chronic hepatitis, fatty liver disease, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. In addition, patients subjected to liver transplantation (a life-saving strategy for patients with end-stage liver disease, hepatocellular carcinoma, and acute liver failure) usually suffer for bacterial infections, especially due to multidrug-resistant germs. Nevertheless, the understanding of the interaction between the gut microbiota and the immune system in liver transplant recipients and their role in infections is very limited. In the same line, changes in the gut microbiota during partial hepatectomy induced acute liver injury remained elusive as well as the specific role of the microbiome in ischemia/reperfusion injury during liver surgery.
Having in mind the aforementioned, in the present Research Topic we welcome the submission of Original Research Articles, Reviews, and Mini-reviews including, but not limited to, the following topics
1) Characteristics of intestinal microbiota during partial hepatectomy acute liver injury and related pathways.
2) Manipulation of the gut microbiota as a therapeutic instrument to modulate infectious risk and outcome after liver surgery
3) Interplay between Gut Microbiota and the Immune System in liver transplant recipients and Its role in infections