The Interplay between Liver and Adipose Tissue in the Onset of Liver Diseases: Exploring the Role of Vitamin Deficiency
Ivan Tattoli,
Aimee Rachel Mathew,
Antonella Verrienti,
Lucia Pallotta,
Carola Severi,
Fausto Andreola,
Virve Cavallucci,
Mauro Giorgi,
Mara Massimi,
Lapo Bencini,
Marco Fidaleo
Affiliations
Ivan Tattoli
Oncology General Surgery, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Careggi, 50139 Florence, Italy
Aimee Rachel Mathew
Department of Biology and Biotechnologies “Charles Darwin”, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Antonella Verrienti
Department of Translational and Precision Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
Lucia Pallotta
Department of Translational and Precision Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
Carola Severi
Department of Translational and Precision Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
Fausto Andreola
Liver Failure Group, Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Royal Free Hospital, University College London, London NW3 2PF, UK
Virve Cavallucci
Department of Translational Medicine and Surgery, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario “A. Gemelli” IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
Mauro Giorgi
Department of Biology and Biotechnologies “Charles Darwin”, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Mara Massimi
Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
Lapo Bencini
Oncology General Surgery, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Careggi, 50139 Florence, Italy
Marco Fidaleo
Department of Biology and Biotechnologies “Charles Darwin”, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
The deficiency of vitamins, a condition known as “hidden hunger”, causes comprehensive pathological states. Research over the years has identified a relationship between liver diseases and hypovitaminosis or defects in vitamin metabolism. The exact mechanisms remain elusive; however, the crucial involvement of specific vitamins in metabolic functions, alongside the reclassification of liver disease as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), has prompted researchers to investigate the potential cause-effect dynamics between vitamin deficiency and liver disease. Moreover, scientists are increasingly investigating how the deficiency of vitamins might disrupt specific organ crosstalk, potentially contributing to liver disease. Although the concept of a dysmetabolic circuit linking adipose tissue and the liver, leading to liver disease, has been discussed, the possible involvement of vitamin deficiency in this axis is a relatively recent area of study, with numerous critical aspects yet to be fully understood. In this review, we examine research from 2019 to July 2024 focusing on the possible link between liver-adipose tissue crosstalk and vitamin deficiency involved in the onset and progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Studies report that vitamin deficiency can affect the liver-adipose tissue axis, mainly affecting the regulation of systemic energy balance and inflammation.
