Open AccessThe Dynamic Interplay Between Mast Cells, Aging/Cellular Senescence, and Liver Disease
Author(s) -
Debjyoti Kundu,
Lindsey Kennedy,
Vik Meadows,
Leonardo Baiocchi,
Gianfranco Alpini,
Heather Francis
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
gene expression
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.591
H-Index - 46
eISSN - 1555-3884
pISSN - 1052-2166
DOI - 10.3727/105221620x15960509906371
Subject(s) - senescence , nonalcoholic fatty liver disease , degranulation , immune system , disease , phenotype , mast cell , liver disease , immunology , biology , medicine , cancer research , microbiology and biotechnology , fatty liver , pathology , receptor , biochemistry , gene
Mast cells are key players in acute immune responses that are evidenced by degranulation leading to a heightened allergic response. Activation of mast cells can trigger a number of different pathways contributing to metabolic conditions and disease progression. Aging results in irreversible physiological changes affecting all organs, including the liver. The liver undergoes senescence, changes in protein expression, and cell signaling phenotypes during aging, which regulate disease progression. Cellular senescence contributes to the age-related changes. Unsurprisingly, mast cells also undergo age-related changes in number, localization, and activation throughout their lifetime, which adversely affects the etiology and progression of many physiological conditions including liver diseases. In this review, we discuss the role of mast cells during aging, including features of aging (e.g., senescence) in the context of biliary diseases such as primary biliary cholangitis and primary sclerosing cholangitis and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.