Molecular and Cellular Pathogenesis of Fatty Liver Disease and Its Progression

Dear Colleagues,

Fatty liver disease (FLD), also known as hepatic steatosis, is a term encompassing a spectrum of diseases that are characterized by lipid accumulation in the liver. FLD is histologically defined by an abnormal deposition of fat within more than 5% of hepatocytes. Even though it is a benign condition, it can progress to fibrosis and lead to end-stage liver disease.

Currently, FLD is considered a major cause of chronic liver diseases worldwide. It has been associated with different conditions—most frequently, alcohol abuse, chronic hepatitis C virus infection, and obesity. Indeed, obesity may cause FLD due to metabolic abnormalities such as visceral adiposity and insulin resistance, and this condition has recently been described by the umbrella term “metabolically associated FLD (MAFLD)”.

Besides these major causes of FLD in the adult population, in children, there is also a large group of genetic and metabolic disorders that can clinically present with FLD and/or high transaminase levels, and mimic or coexist with a diagnosis of paediatric MAFLD.

FLD, due to its multiple aetiologies, has different molecular and cellular mechanisms of development and progression.

This Special Issue aims to discuss the current knowledge on the pathophysiology of FLD and its progression in different forms of chronic liver diseases, including alcoholic fatty liver disease (ALD), MAFLD (NAFLD), and paediatric inherited metabolic disorders. Experimental studies, review articles, and clinical studies are welcome for consideration.

Prof. Gianluca Svegliati-Baroni
Dr. Anna Alisi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.