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. 2016 Sep 27;8(2):3628–3639. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.12275

Figure 2. The relationship of macrophage activation, cytokine secretion, and liver regeneration.

Figure 2

In response to partial hepatectomy, the liver shows an acute phase response, during which the liver is enriched in several chemotaxis mediators for macrophages, such as osteopontin (mainly secreted by biliary epithelial cells [47]), MCP-1 (mainly secreted by hepatic stellate cells and biliary epithelial cells [130, 131] ), and ICAM-1 (mainly secreted by sinusoidal endothelial cells [40]). In the liver, the increased levels of LPS as well as reactive oxygen species (ROS) activate the complement system and the TLR/MyD88 pathway in macrophages. This leads to the activation of NFκB and results in the release of inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6. TNF-α could function in an autocrine manner and further activate NFκB. IL-6 binds to its receptors on hepatocytes and activate STAT3 signaling, thus promote the proliferation of hepatocytes. Abbreviations: MCP-1, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1; ICAM-1, intercellular adhesion molecule 1; ROS, reactive oxygen species; TNF-α, tumor necrosis factor-α; IL-6, interlukin-6; STAT3, Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3.