The summaries are free for public
use. The Chronic Liver Disease
Foundation will continue to add and
archive summaries of articles deemed
relevant to CLDF by the Board of
Trustees and its Advisors.
Abstract Details
Platelets promote liver immunopathology contributing to hepatitis B virus-mediated hepatocarcinogenesis
Author information
Division of Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy. Electronic address: sitia.giovanni@hsr.it.
Abstract
Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major risk factor for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Among the pathogenetic factors triggered by HBV, virus-specific CD8(+) T cells play and important role in disease pathogenesis by promoting necroinflammatory liver damage. Accordingly, amelioration of immune-mediated chronic liver injury may prevent HCC. Platelets facilitate this process by sustaining the hepatic accumulation of virus-specific CD8(+) T cells and subsequently other virus nonspecific inflammatory cells that contribute to liver disease. Importantly, a recent study shows that the long-term use of clinically relevant doses of the anti-platelet drugs aspirin and clopidogrel, administered after the onset of liver disease, in an HBV transgenic mouse model of immune-mediated chronic hepatitis and HCC, can prevent hepatocarcinogenesis improving overall survival. Platelets therefore, act as key players in the pathogenesis of HBV-associated liver cancer supporting the notion that immune-mediated necroinflammatory liver disease is sufficient to trigger HCC and that interference with platelet activation may have clinical implications for HCC prevention.