Nuclear factor‐κB and the hepatic inflammation‐fibrosis‐cancer axis

Nuclear factor‐κB (NF‐κB) is a transcriptional regulator of genes involved in immunity, inflammatory response, cell fate, and function. Recent attention has focused on the pathophysiological role of NF‐κB in the diseased liver. In vivo studies using rodent models of liver disease and cell‐targeted perturbation of NF‐κB activity have revealed complex and multicellular functions in hepatic inflammation, fibrosis, and the development of hepatocellular carcinoma—a process we have termed the “inflammation‐fibrosis‐cancer axis”. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge and provides insight into the vast complexity of the hepatic NF‐κB signaling system, which should provide a rich source of new therapeutic targets. (H EPATOLOGY 2007;46:590–597.)