Open AccessSpleen: A new role for an old player?
Author(s) -
Giovanni Tarantino,
Silvia Savastano,
Domênico Capone,
Annamaria Colao
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
world journal of gastroenterology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.427
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 2219-2840
pISSN - 1007-9327
DOI - 10.3748/wjg.v17.i33.3776
Subject(s) - spleen , endocrine system , immune system , nonalcoholic fatty liver disease , organ system , medicine , immunology , fatty liver , disease , bioinformatics , biology , pathology , hormone
The spleen could be considered a neglected organ. To date, it has been deemed an ancillary organ in portal hypertension or an organ localization in lymphoproliferative diseases, even though it has had significant attention in infectious diseases for some time. Now, it is thought to be central in regulating the immune system, a metabolic asset and involved in endocrine function with regard to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. The main mechanisms involved in this complex network will be critically discussed in this article.